Castro beat and tortured his wife, kept her in cardboard box

Ariel Castro, the man accused of keeping three abducted women captive for over ten years was also abusive towards his wife, who family says died as a result of his abuse. Castro is being described by those who knew him as "obsessive" and "controlling."

CLEVELAND, OH (Catholic Online) - Ariel Castro led a quiet, if somewhat eccentric life, according ot neighbors. He was fairly private and did not invite anyone but close family into his home. He kept several doors locked inside the house.

This was deemed strange, but none suspected he was the kidnapper of three women who he was raping, beating, and terrorizing on a regular basis.

However, family did suspect that Castro killed his wife through repeated abuse.

According to his former sister-in-law, Elida Caraballo, 44, her sister "would be alive today if not for him."

Caraballo described to MailOnline the treatment her sister, Grimilda Figueroa, suffered at Castro's hands. She explained that he was obsessive about her attire, who her friends where, where she went, and so on. She told how at one point Castro ordered her to get into a cardboard box and stay there until he told her she could come out.

Grimilda was also required to wear dresses that extended below her knees.

When asked why she did not flee, Caraballo explained that her sister feared for her life and the lives of their five children. Castro, she explained, threatened to murder her if she ever left him. She stayed to protect their children.

Last year, Grimilda died. Caraballo said it was from injuries caused by Castro. Grimilda suffered fractured ribs, lost a tooth, had both shoulders dislocated, and even a blood clot in the brain as a result of his torture.

What may be most difficult to imagine is that Grimilda suffered her abuse at the same time Castro was keeping three women captive in his basement and impregnating them.

Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty against Castro, if possible. It is believed he may have caused the deaths of several unborn children by beating his captives into miscarriage. He is now also suspected in a series of other unsolved disappearances in the Cleveland area.

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