The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for a decade entered a guilty plea Friday in order to avoid the death penalty.

The man, Ariel Castro, 53, pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including rape and kidnapping, in a plea agreement with prosecutors. Under the deal, he would spend life in prison without parole and receive 1,000 additional years.

“I will plead guilty because of the plea deal,” Castro said in court.

In a hearing Friday, Judge Michael Russo of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court reviewed the charges and asked Castro whether he understood.

The hearing, which lasted over an hour, was the first time the public had heard from Castro at length since he was arrested in May.

Castro, who wore an orange jumpsuit and glasses and had a thick beard, often went beyond the judge’s questions, bringing up his “sexual problems” and saying that he missed his daughter.

As the judge listed each count in the long indictment and Castro pleaded guilty to each charge, Castro stopped to say, “I would like to state that I miss my daughter very much.”

Castro has a 6-year-old daughter with Amanda Berry, one of the kidnapping victims. Earlier this month, he asked the judge for permission to see the girl, but the judge denied his request.

During the hearing, Castro said that when he was arrested, he agreed to work with the authorities and “tell them everything.”

He also told the judge that he had been sexually abused as a child. At one point, he said, “My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind.”

As part of the agreement, Castro would forfeit his home and his savings. Prosecutors said Castro’s home would be demolished soon.