Father and son, Timothy Ciboro and Esten Ciboro, charged with imprisoning and sexually abusing the same teen relative, – will use Bible Scripture and ‘God’s holy word’ to defend themselves in court
‘It will be interesting to know the passages in their Bible that support the family tradition of rape, torture and pedophilia’
Timothy Ciboro, 53, and Esten Ciboro, 28, Father and son accused of imprisoning and sexually abusing the same teenage relative
Ciboro locked his 13-year-old stepdaughter in their basement until she escaped from their home in Toledo, Ohio
The juvenile’s mom left her with Timothy in 2012; she was allegedly abused from then on
Father and son were arrested in May, 2016, accused of sexually assaulting the stepdaughter from 2012 to 2015
Charged with rape, kidnapping and child endangerment, Timothy Ciboro also stands accused of raping a second child
Both men have turned down legal counsel, choosing to represent themselves, with the Bible as guide
Timothy Ciboro and Esten Ciboro say they will use Bible Scripture and ‘God’s holy word’ to defend themselves in court
Timothy Ciboro charged along with his son of imprisoning and sexually molesting his 13-year-old stepdaughter, seeing here in court clutching his stack of defense documents. 53-year-old Ciboro who is also accused of sexually molesting a second child is acting as his own counsel
The Ohio father and son are on trial accused of imprisoning and raping a teenage relative in their basement for a year have chosen to act as their own attorneys in their trial which began this week. According to the duo, they will use the Bible as a guide on what to do.
Timothy Ciboro and his 28-year-old son, Esten are accused of sexually abusing children in their care, including the elder Ciboro’s 13-year-old stepdaughter, who said she was kept locked in their basement.
The Toledo Blade reports that at a pretrial hearing on Friday, Timothy Ciboro successfully argued that he should be able to bring a Bible into court, saying it would be like tying their hands behind their back and their ability to defend themselves would be compromised if they couldn’t ‘use God’s holy word to ask questions, questions that we believe are absolutely vital to our case.’
Esten Ciboro faces similar charges of sexually abusing and imprisoning his stepsister, a minor child. He moved the motion for the court allowing the defendants to bring in the bible as a guide book for their trial
The handcuffed pair file into court
Calling it “the only law book that truly matters,” Esten told the court, “There’s a great deal of strategy in Scripture and I use those strategies in everything I do. It’s a vital part of everything I do.”
While granting their request, Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Linda Jennings told the defendants that the Biblewould be allowed in court but they would not be permitted to use it to directly question witnesses.
An attorney will be on hand to answer procedural questions, but will not provide any other help for the duo during the actual proceedings.
The Ciboros, father and son, are representing themselves at their trial this week, using the Bible for legal ‘strategies’. They were arrested in May, 2016 after Thomas Ciboro’s stepdaughter escaped from a basement lockup told police about her ordeal
When urged to consider getting professional legal counsel in May last year, Esteban Ciboro responded: “Professionals built the Titanic. Amateurs built the ark,” reports the Blade.
The pair’s first day of trial was Monday; which was spent selecting a jury.
The two men have both pleaded not guilty to charges including rape, kidnapping and child endangerment.
They are accused of sexually assaulting the stepdaughter from 2012 to 2015. Timothy Ciboro also stands accused of raping another child.
Father and son in court for their pre-trial hearing
Timothy Ciboro also faces a second charge of raping a child. He also denies that claim.
The 13-year-old, described as ‘unclean and traumatized’ by witnesses was helped by two janitors from the Port Authority building, around a mile from the Ciboros’ home.
The women said the girl told them that she was told to obey a 50-point system, and that if she lost those 50 points she would be taken to the basement and handcuffed.
The girl who lived with the pair and Timothy’s two young sons in Toledo, Ohio said this had been happening, on and off for around a year.
She later told police that she was forced to eat spoiled food and use a bucket full of ammonia for a toilet.
The house of rape and torture: The girl said she was imprisoned in the basement of the Ciboro home [photo]. She also claims she was was sexually abused and made to eat spoilt food, by her stepfather and older stepbrother
The girl hadn’t seen her mom since she went to Las Vegas in 2012, she said. She didn’t know why her mom left or why she didn’t come back. She was living in the Toledo, Ohio home with her two younger step-brothers and her abusers. They were being ‘homeschooled’, the teen told the janitors. She also told police that she had not been to school since the first grade.
Police then raided the Ciboros’ home. On sighting cops, the father and son attempted to flee with Timothy’s two sons and a box containing a gun, but were apprehended.
All three children have been put in foster care.
At the time of their arrest, the Facebook pages of both the father and son were filled with gripes about Satan worship in their community.
In one posting, Esten Ciboro said a cartoon road sign welcoming people to the village of Cedarville in Ohio, showed a child pledging allegiance to the devil.
Esten Ciboro’s Facebook page was full of tirades against the rise of ‘Satan worship’ in small Ohio towns
In one posting Esten Ciboro observed, ‘As of 2013 or earlier, Cedar Creek has been aware of this demonic hand gesture indicating ‘Satanic Allegiance,’ however Cedar Creek has continued to proudly display this gesture of allegiance,’ he said.
His father stepped into defend his son when he was mocked by friends, writing: ‘There is real Satan worship out there, and yes the hand gesture that Esten is warning you about is a real Satanic hand gesture that has been around a lot longer that you have been alive.’
He went further to accuse people criticizing his son as being part of a ‘Satanic cult’.
Timothy Ciboro was a firefighter until 2004, the Toledo Blade reported, but Fire Chief Luis Santiago remembered him as ‘not being a very good employee’.
The Chief says Ciboro had a history of causing trouble in the department. A list of disciplinary problems include failing to obey orders, being late to work by two hours, and falsifying reports or statements.
Ciboro filed a harassment and wrongful dismissal against the city in 2007 after being fired for demanding a discount on ice cream at a stand in 2004.
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