Stepmother accused of holding Connecticut man captive for over 20 years appears in court
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – A Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for most of his life briefly appeared in court Wednesday.
Kimberly Sullivan arrived at Waterbury Superior Court just before 10 a.m., where she was expected to plead not guilty to kidnapping and assault charges, according to her lawyers. But the case was continued until Friday.
Police and fire crews first encountered Sullivan on Feb. 17 when responding to a fire at the Waterbury home she shared with the victim. Sullivan, 56, was able to evacuate safely, and the man, 32, was later helped out by firefighters.
The man, who reportedly weighed less than 70 pounds when he was found, has since described to police the shocking conditions under which he was allegedly held for the previous two decades.
Investigators determined he was confined most days to a back storage room that measured 8 by 9 feet. He was allowed out for short periods of time, between 15 minutes to a few hours per day, but usually for chores, he told officials.
At first, he said, he was only locked in his room at night. He claimed he recalled drinking water from a toilet because he only received two glasses of water per day. He alleged that his access to a bathroom was later taken away, forcing him to urinate in bottles and defecate onto paper and dispose of it in the garbage when he was let out to do chores.
He also said he was pulled out of school after the school called the Department of Children and Families (DCF) twice to report that he kept asking students for their food during lunchtime because he was allegedly being starved at home, the affidavit said.
His only connection to the outside world, according to the affidavit, was a radio kept outside his bedroom, where he would listen to local radio stations and use that as a way to keep track of the date and year. He educated himself by using a dictionary and reading the three books per year he was permitted to have.
“In 33 years in law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said at a press conference earlier this month.
Police said the man used a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper to set fire to his room on Feb. 17 in an attempt to escape. He told authorities he had been held captive since he was 11 years old and wanted his freedom.
Sullivan was later arrested and arraigned on charges of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. Her lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, had also suggested there was more to the story that officials had not made public.
“He was not locked in the room, she did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter,” Kaloidis said last week. “She is blown away by these allegations.”
The victim is now receiving an outpouring of support from the Waterbury community and beyond. As of Tuesday, nearly $200,000 has been raised for the man by an organization called Safe Haven, which supports victims of domestic violence.
That money will go toward the victim's recovery, according to the organization. He may also need lifelong psychiatric treatment, an official for Safe Haven said.
"Somebody in that situation, I think so," a Safe Haven representative said. "Getting through therapy is going to be a long process. … Any of the resources that we could provide to an individual in that situation, whether it's just financial through our GoFundMe, we're happy to help."