Woman accused of holding stepson captive for 20 years pleads not guilty; judge orders GPS monitoring
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Alaa Elassar, Yon Pomrenze and Brynn Gingras, CNN
(CNN) — A Connecticut woman accused of imprisoning her stepson for nearly two decades and subjecting him to starvation and relentless abuse pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges including assault, kidnapping and cruelty.
Superior Court Judge Joseph Schwartz denied the state prosecutor’s request to place Kimberly Sullivan, 56, under house arrest, but has ordered Sullivan to wear an electronic GPS monitoring device while she is released on bail.
Sullivan was arrested on March 12 after a 32-year-old man – who told police he had been held captive for over 20 years – last month set fire to the Waterbury, Connecticut, home he shared with Sullivan in what authorities described as a desperate bid for freedom.
The alleged victim is afraid and living “in fear,” Supervisory Assistant State Attorney Don Therkildsen argued in court on Friday as Sullivan, wearing a black floral outfit, stood next to her attorney.
Sullivan’s stepson’s “first question in this fear is, ‘Why is she out walking around when I was locked up in a room for 20 years?’” Therkildsen told the court.
The judge defended his decision, citing the fact that Sullivan has no permanent residence, has been admitted to a hospital since her arrest for mental health reasons, has no prior criminal record and has not failed to appear in court as reasons why house arrest is not necessary.
“On the other hand, I can see the argument someone could show again, just according to the allegations, someone that can show such an extreme indifference to human life have such a lack of empathy,” Judge Schwartz said. “If that person could commit that type of crime, they’re certainly likely to commit another thing.”
“The allegations are arguably the most troubling that I’ve seen during my tenure as a judge and show really an unthinkable amount of lack of empathy, and I do stress that they are just allegations.”
The alleged victim told police he intentionally started a fire with a lighter, hand sanitizer, and printer paper in his upstairs room, explaining, “I wanted my freedom.” An arrest warrant, obtained by CNN affiliate WFSB, detailed years of what the man described as “captivity, abuse and starvation.”
When police arrived, they found the man severely emaciated, weighing just 70 pounds at 5-foot-9. His hair was matted, his teeth were decaying, and he appeared dirty and disheveled.
Therkildsen had requested Sullivan’s bail conditions to be modified, including adding house arrest, GPS monitoring, and for her passport to be surrendered.
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, argued against the proposed conditions and said the only change between Sullivan’s previous court appearances and Friday’s hearing “is a two-week track record of compliance.”
Sullivan received a number of threats online and restricting her movement will only cause more safety concerns, according to Kaloidis.
“I understand that the whole world wants to convict Miss Sullivan, and the whole world already has, but this is the only place, the only room in this country, where we have an opportunity to protect her rights,” Kaloidis said. “And as unpopular as that may seem, that’s what’s at issue here, her rights, no one else’s.”
Additional witnesses have come forward, including a friend of Sullivan’s who said in the 21 years she’s known Sullivan, Sullivan has never spoken of a stepson or allowed in the friend in her home, Therkildsen said on Friday.
Since her arrest, Sullivan has denied the allegations through Kaloidis. Sullivan was released on a $300,000 bond.
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