Michelle Knight, Cleveland Kidnap Victim, Was Ariel Castro's "Human Punching Bag"

Michelle Knight, the Cleveland kidnapping victim, was allegedly Ariel Castro's "human punching bag" while being held prisoner.

Knight was allegedly kidnapped by Castro in 2002 and was kept captive for more than a decade. She was imprisoned along with Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Berry's daughter until they were freed on May 6. Knight suffered from facial damage and hearing loss because of the beatings she told police Castro inflicted upon her. A friend of Knight's told CNN that 32-year old Knight bore the brunt of Castro's abuse and that she was his "human punching bag".

The source said Castro hit Knight with a variety of objects, including hand weights. She suffered vision loss, joint and muscle damage, and other problems from her time in captivity. Knight and the other captives told authorities that Castro abuducted, raped and beat them for years. The friend added that Knight seemed to be treated the worse of the three kidnapped women and that all were underweight.

Knight also told police that she became pregnant at least five times during her captivity. Castro allegedly induced the miscarriages by starving and beating her. Prosecutors are considering applying the death penalty to Castro because of his actions that led to the deaths of the children.

"Capital punishment must be reserved for those crimes that are truly the worst examples of human conduct," Timothy McGinty, Cuyahoga County prosecutor,  said. "The reality is we still have brutal criminals in our midst who have no respect for the rule of law or human life."

Lawyers for Castro told a TV station on Tuesday that their client intended to plead not guilty to all the charges the state has levied against him. Craig Weintraub and Jaye Schlachet claimed that the media had rushed to judgment in declaring Castro a monster. They were left with a different impression of him.

"The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a 'monster' and that's not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours," Weintraub said.

Schlachet added that all the facts were not yet known. He said that the defense had only just begun to put together a case that would vindicate Castro.

"I know the media wants to jump to conclusions and all the people in the community want to say terrible things about the person who's accused," Schlachet said.