Photographs and physique digicam footage from a Waterbury dwelling the place a person says he was held captive for 20 years by his stepmother has shed new mild on the alleged conditions beneath which he was stored — and led to accusations from the lady’s protection lawyer that authorities are attempting to skew public opinion of his consumer.
The images and movies have been launched this week by the Waterbury Police Department following Freedom of Info requests filed by quite a lot of media retailers in reference to costs in opposition to 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, who has been accused of holding her 32-year-old stepson locked up in her Blake Avenue dwelling since he was 11 years outdated. The images taken by police present exterior locks on doorways to a number of rooms, in addition to one specific door and its body photographed a number of occasions by investigators that seems to point out two separate latches and police tape round it.
Quite a few different images depict a house in disarray with numerous objects and belongings strewn about in what seems to resemble hoarding situations.
Movies launched by police present quite a lot of totally different physique cameras belonging to officers who responded to a fireplace on the dwelling on Feb. 17 the place the sufferer — who weighed 68 kilos standing 5 toes 9 inches tall — confided in authorities that he had began the blaze on goal as a result of he needed his freedom, in response to the arrest warrant affidavit supporting the fees in opposition to Sullivan. In one of many movies, an officer is proven questioning Sullivan a few lock discovered on the surface of a room the place the sufferer was believed to have been stored.
“Was the door locked on his room?” the officer asks.
“No,” Sullivan responds, the video reveals.
“Is it usually locked,” the officer responds, to which Sullivan tells him “No.”
“And he has free reign to exit of there every time he desires?” the officer continues.
“Yeah,” responds Sullivan, who’s seated within the again a black car, the video reveals.
“Now does he have any psychological challenges or something?” the officer asks.
Sullivan’s response and the following a number of seconds of the dialog seem to have been redacted from the video previous to its launch.
In one other physique digicam video, an officer on the rear of an open ambulance could be heard telling one other officer “He says he hasn’t had a bathe in over a yr.”
“There’s filth throughout him,” the policeman says.
In a number of different movies, police could be heard discussing Sullivan leaving the scene in a black car and never figuring out the place she was going. An officer at one level mentioned police had extra questions for Sullivan however that they didn’t have sufficient to detain her.
In response to the disclosure of the images and physique digicam footage, Sullivan’s lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, held a information convention Tuesday throughout which he known as the “dump of knowledge” by Waterbury police a “grossly reckless act” and “fully inappropriate.”
“It was stunning to say the least,” Kaloidis mentioned, including that in 22 years practising legislation that is the primary time he has seen discovery that attorneys usually battle and wait months to get launched to most of the people.
He mentioned he believes police ought to have denied the requests and let the scenario play out by means of the FOI enchantment course of.
“I can’t clarify why it might be accomplished. The one factor we will consider is it’s clearly being accomplished to sway public opinion,” Kaloidis mentioned. “As if there weren’t sufficient folks rooting in opposition to my consumer already. As if there weren’t sufficient folks that had already made up their minds and convicted her.”
Kaloidis accused police of making an attempt to bury optimistic info that was reported about his consumer this week, which got here within the type of a media report that indicated police spoke to the sufferer in 2005 once they visited the household dwelling. In keeping with Kaloidis, officers on the time famous the sufferer appeared “wholesome and comfortable” and that the house appeared regular.
Kaloidis accused police of making an attempt to “feed the general public hysteria” and “additional erode” Sullivan’s likelihood at a good trial. He has not dominated out submitting a movement to maneuver the legal proceedings to a different jurisdiction to seek out jurors who can “preserve an open thoughts,” he mentioned.
In keeping with Kaloidis, Sullivan’s protection staff has filed a movement and a written letter asking police to protect any and all communications surrounding the FOI requests that led to what was launched this week. If a witness who testifies at trial was concerned in releasing the data their motivation could also be related, he mentioned.
“Their biases in opposition to my consumer could also be related.”
In keeping with the warrant affidavit, the sufferer advised authorities he was yanked from college at 11 years outdated after the fourth grade when the state Division of Kids and Households acquired a grievance from college officers who mentioned he appeared hungry on a regular basis and was seen consuming from the trash. From then on, he alleged that he was stored locked in an 8-foot by 9-foot storage room and solely let loose to do his chores, which took between quarter-hour and two hours, the warrant affidavit mentioned. Some days, the sufferer alleged that he could be stored locked up for twenty-four hours straight with out being allowed to make use of the toilet.
The person additionally alleged that he was given little or no meals and water in a room with none warmth or air con, in response to the warrant affidavit. His solely connection to the surface world was a radio, he advised police.
Kaloidis up to now has declined to elucidate how the sufferer might have weighed solely 68 kilos, saying that burden rests on the prosecution. He has additionally denied that Sullivan performed any function within the man’s situation, saying his remedy was dictated by his father, who died in January 2024.
Talking on the proof in opposition to Sullivan, Kaloidis mentioned the locks seen on the surface of a number of doorways have been in place earlier than his consumer moved in.
“I’ve seen the proof within the case and I’m not moved,” Kaloidis mentioned. “I’m assured in our case. These locks, there’s exterior locks on a number of doorways. Some are latched. Quite a bit simply had a easy keychain. Ask your self, is that the restraint that’s going to maintain somebody captive 20 years?
“The place are {the handcuffs}? The place are the chains? The place are the indicators of restraint?,” Kaloidis mentioned. “These photos elevate a variety of questions should you have a look at them objectively.”
When pressed about how the sufferer might weigh what he did, Kaloidid mentioned there could possibly be a variety of causes, together with attainable medical situations.
“Ask a health care provider. That’s not for me to elucidate,” he mentioned. “There could possibly be a variety of causes. What I can inform you was there was meals within the fridge, there was meals within the cupboards, she introduced meals dwelling.”
When requested if the sufferer was allowed to eat the meals that was within the dwelling, Kaloidis affirmed, “Sure, completely.”
Sullivan final week pleaded not guilty to costs of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, cruelty to individuals, first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree illegal restraint. She was ordered through the listening to to be positioned beneath GPS monitoring by means of an ankle bracelet.
Sullivan stays free on a $300,000 bond and is due again in court docket on April 22.
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