First Posted: May 06, 2014 10:08 AM EDT
Michelle Knight, one of the three victims held hostage in a Cleveland house of horrors for almost 11 years, said that she has forgiven her kidnapper Ariel Castro.
Knight, who has published a new book, talked about her experience being raped, abused and tortured for nearly a decade in an interview with NBC's 'Today' show on Monday.
She said that she forgives Castro because she would want to be forgiven if she did wrong.
'If I did something wrong, even if it was a small thing, I would want somebody to forgive me so I can forgive him for what he done wrong because that's the way of life,' she told Today anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Castro kidnaped Knight back in 2002 when she was 21 years old, the New York Daily News reported. Later, he also kidnapped two other young women, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus. They all escaped their horror a year ago on May 6, 2013, after a Good Samaritan heard Berry yelling for help.
Castro was then arrested and sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to 937 counts of rape, kidnapping and aggravated murder. However, he committed suicide one month into his sentence.
When asked about her reaction to Castro's death, Knight said that she felt sadden by his suicide.
'I was saddened by it but also confused at the same time. Like why would he hurt his children like that? Why would he leave them?' she said. 'He was a human being, and every human being needs to be loved, even though they did something wrong.'
Now, Knight says that she enjoys the simple things in life that many people take for granted.
'Being able to wake up in the morning, make a cup of coffee and sit there,' she said. 'Watch TV, listen to music and just look at the beautiful sky.'
As a survivor, she said that she wants people to know, 'I'm doing just fine, and everything is really exciting right now.' Plus, she said she enjoys singing and is enrolled in boxing lessons.
'It's just awesome,' she said. 'It's awesome -- life right now.'
Tagscleveland kidnapper, Cleveland ariel castro, Cleveland kidnapping, Ariel Castro, Michelle Knight, Cleveland
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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