Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro agrees to plead guilty to avoid death penalty

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Accused Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro agreed on Friday to plead guilty and serve life in prison without parole for the abduction and abuse of three women over about a decade.

Under a plea agreement announced in court, Ohio prosecutors agreed that Castro will not be eligible for the death penalty. Castro was charged with 977 counts including kidnapping and rape for snatching the women, holding them in captivity, and brutalizing them for years.

(Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by Greg McCune and Grant McCool)

[Ariel Castro walks into the court room with his head down for a pre-trial hearing on charges including rape, kidnapping and murder in Cleveland]