Amanda Berry, Missing Cleveland Woman Found, Surprises Concert Crowd in VIDEO; First Public Appearance
Amanda Berry surprised a crowd at a Cleveland concert on July 27 when she walked on stage, marking her first public appearance since being rescued from a decade-long captivity at the hands of Ariel Castro.
Berry, 27, attended the day-long RoverFest concert in Cleveland and during a set featuring rapper Nelly, she walked on stage with her family and waved at the cheering crowd. She smiled at the applause she received but did not address the crowd. Berry wore sunglasses and was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. The apperance was caught on camera and after Nelly finished his set, he reportedly called Berry back on the stage.
Berry's appearance was a day after her abductor pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including kidnap and rape charges, in a deal that will send him to prison for life plus 1,000 years without chance of parole. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were kidnapped by Castro between 2002 and 2004 when they were 16, 14 and 20 years old. They escaped in early May when Berry kicked out part of a door to Castro's home and called to neighbors for help.
Watch Berry's public appearance in the video below.
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Shane French, talk radio show host for Rover's Morning Glory on WMMS in Cleveland, told The Associated Press he casually invited Berry to RoverFest during an on-air segment a few weeks ago, but did not know she was listening in or that she would take him up on his offer.
"I just said that she had 10 years of partying to make up for and she should come," French said, adding that he was surprised when security guards told him Berry had arrived.
Amanda Berry's 911 Call, LISTEN
The radio host said Berry at first refused to go on stage, but then agreed and asked if he would go with her.
"She didn't say why she decided to come, but some of her family members told me they listen to my show every day and had been to RoverFest in the past. I didn't see her cry, but I think she was pretty overwhelmed by the response that the crowd gave her," he said of Berry. "She just seemed to be having a great time."
