CT - 32-year-old man held captive by stepmother Kimberly Sullivan since age 11, weighs 68 lbs, sets fire to home to escape, 17 Feb 2025 *Arrest*

[Izzylizzy]

THANK YOU, @Jo in Calif!!! I KNEW I hadn't imagined that, I just couldn't find it.

He stated that around 2005, being home alone, he cut out a piece of wood paneling out of the door that he was locked behind. He stated that he was able to sneak out and make his way to the rest of the house where he found food and ate it. When Sullivan discovered he had made his way out of the room, she went up to him and slapped him in the face. From
that point on, not only was his door locked, but plywood was secured on both sides of the door so he could not get through the door again. This door was observed in the residence when the search warrants were ‘executed and there was, in fact, plywood on each side of the door.

WARRANT AFFIDAVIT KIMBERLY SULLIVAN Redacted

www.documentcloud.org

Thanks for the link and I just started reading and stopped here to comment.


KS's lawyer claims that when the Sullivans bought the house the locks were already on doors.
Even if they were (doubtful) it doesn't prove that they were never used to keep "S" captive or more locks weren't installed.
Another question is how many rooms that "S" wasn't locked in had locks on them?
Hopefully LE contacts prior owners and checks out his story.

 

[tlcya]

Sullivan is due back in court on May 27.
https://www.wtnh.com/news/connectic...-case-returns-to-court-for-pre-trial-hearing/

 

[arielilane]

@cathyrusson


Norm Pattis is defending Kimberly Sullivan. Pattis represented Alex Jones and Fotis Dulos before Dulos' death.

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[arielilane]

Defense for Kimberly Sullivan, the woman accused of holding her stepson captive for 20 years in Waterbury, CT., has retained law firm Pattis & Paz to handle her appeal of her bond conditions.


Sullivan was initially granted 300k bond after her arrest. Ahead of her not guilty plea the State argued their case was stronger. The judge then put Sullivan on GPS monitoring.


Now, Sullivan is trying to be removed from GPS monitoring. Her new attorneys say, "There is a strong argument that the modification was made due to public attention and desire for punishment, rather than any real concern regarding her willingness to appear in court.”


The Pattis in Pattis & Paz is for Norm Pattis, who recently defended Alex Jones in his defamation trial over his claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.

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[appleatcha]

Forgive the newbie question, but is it common for a defendant to not be present for a pre-trial hearing while out on bond? Nobody else seems as surprised by that as I am, but I'm wondering where she could be to justify missing a hearing. (It isn't clear to me whether the line about the judge mentioning that she was hospitalized at some point since the last hearing means that she's currently in the hospital.)

 

[MrsWatson]

Who's paying for Norm Pattis?

 

[Luna20]

@cathyrusson


Norm Pattis is defending Kimberly Sullivan. Pattis represented Alex Jones and Fotis Dulos before Dulos' death.

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How is she able to afford this?

 

[Izzylizzy]

Bad/stupid move by KS's lawyer, John Kaloidis.
There's a lot of documentation from when "S" was in kindergarten -4th grade that he was always hungry/starving and KS was made well aware of this.
If there is some disease (unknown to me) that even if a child has 3 well rounded meals a day and snacks and their underweight remains a serious medical problem then testing,diet from the doctor and monitoring.
KS said "S" wasn't taken to a doctor because her husband didn't believe in them.
I have no idea where Kaloidis got these supposed medical records from which he claims exonerates KS.

"When asked how his condition could be explained, Kaloidis said the man’s weight has always been an issue since he was a child.

“Sixty-eight pounds -- it doesn’t mean that she starved him, and everyone’s just forgetting to connect the dots. He’s 68 pounds, therefore it must be true. That’s not how this works. The people that made those claims, the first responders, the detectives, what they saw is what they saw, and it doesn’t prove anything. There’s been no actual explanation. There’s been no investigation into his weight. We’ve gotten records. His weight has been an issue since he was a child. His weight was an issue that was addressed with DCF, with the doctors, and my client was cleared multiple times. It’s -- it’s not right to assume that just because he’s underweight, that she’s done something wrong,” Kaloidis said."

​

Attorney for Kimberly Sullivan says her stepson was not held captive

 

[Luna20]

Bad/stupid move by KS's lawyer, John Kaloidis.
There's a lot of documentation from when "S" was in kindergarten -4th grade that he was always hungry/starving and KS was made well aware of this.
If there is some disease (unknown to me) that even if a child has 3 well rounded meals a day and snacks and their underweight remains a serious medical problem then testing,diet from the doctor and monitoring.
KS said "S" wasn't taken to a doctor because her husband didn't believe in them.
I have no idea where Kaloidis got these supposed medical records from which he claims exonerates KS.

"When asked how his condition could be explained, Kaloidis said the man’s weight has always been an issue since he was a child.

“Sixty-eight pounds -- it doesn’t mean that she starved him, and everyone’s just forgetting to connect the dots. He’s 68 pounds, therefore it must be true. That’s not how this works. The people that made those claims, the first responders, the detectives, what they saw is what they saw, and it doesn’t prove anything. There’s been no actual explanation. There’s been no investigation into his weight. We’ve gotten records. His weight has been an issue since he was a child. His weight was an issue that was addressed with DCF, with the doctors, and my client was cleared multiple times. It’s -- it’s not right to assume that just because he’s underweight, that she’s done something wrong,” Kaloidis said."

​

Attorney for Kimberly Sullivan says her stepson was not held captive

There are thousands of 31 year old men that weigh 68 pounds, heck I married one. Three of my neighbors are in that thousand’s too. lol

If they are trying to make it sound normal then they will have to come up with evidence of that, as in 68 pound men 31 years of age. I’m not young and I have never seen any resemblance to this.

 

[katydid23]

Bad/stupid move by KS's lawyer, John Kaloidis.
There's a lot of documentation from when "S" was in kindergarten -4th grade that he was always hungry/starving and KS was made well aware of this.
If there is some disease (unknown to me) that even if a child has 3 well rounded meals a day and snacks and their underweight remains a serious medical problem then testing,diet from the doctor and monitoring.
KS said "S" wasn't taken to a doctor because her husband didn't believe in them.
I have no idea where Kaloidis got these supposed medical records from which he claims exonerates KS.

"When asked how his condition could be explained, Kaloidis said the man’s weight has always been an issue since he was a child.

“Sixty-eight pounds -- it doesn’t mean that she starved him, and everyone’s just forgetting to connect the dots. He’s 68 pounds, therefore it must be true. That’s not how this works. The people that made those claims, the first responders, the detectives, what they saw is what they saw, and it doesn’t prove anything. There’s been no actual explanation. There’s been no investigation into his weight. We’ve gotten records. His weight has been an issue since he was a child. His weight was an issue that was addressed with DCF, with the doctors, and my client was cleared multiple times. It’s -- it’s not right to assume that just because he’s underweight, that she’s done something wrong,” Kaloidis said."

​

Attorney for Kimberly Sullivan says her stepson was not held captive

If his weight was 'an issue' as a child then it was her and her husbands RESPONSIBILITY to get him medical care to figure out why he was malnourished.

She has no reasonable explanation. She cannot shrug and say 'my husband didn't believe in doctors.' That is not a valid legal excuse for a grown man to weigh 68 pounds.

 

[MrsWatson]

Another time her lawyer should have just kept his mouth shut. There is no way to spin this in a positive way that excuses her behavior.

If this goes to trial, I hope they show the video of the fireman carrying S out in his arms as you would a child over and over.

 

[LovesPeace2]

@cathyrusson


Norm Pattis is defending Kimberly Sullivan. Pattis represented Alex Jones and Fotis Dulos before Dulos' death.

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Awe geez I thought we were done with seeing norm.

 

[Izzylizzy]

From the get-go I've been curious if KS's homeowners/fire insurance will pay for the fire damage?
Insurance companies aren't known to pay out for arson and this was admitted arson by an adult male.

Amazing though.and probably a first when even the Firefighters support the arsonist.
I've yet to see anything reported about her fire damaged hell-hole and now her lawyer says she's wants to return to her residence.
Anyone familiar with how the insurance co. may handle this claim?
IMO


"He said that he was confident that Sullivan’s cellphone will be returned next week. She hasn’t had it since March 12 when she was arrested. Police took it for evidence examination.

Kaloidis argued that police did not have a warrant for it and should not have taken it.

Sullivan has also been hoping to return to her home. A protective order is keeping that from happening. Her legal team has been trying to change that.

“We’re in a good spot right now. We have a lot of discovery in the case. We’re going through it all,” Kaloidis said."

Stepmother’s attorney: Fair trial is the goal

A woman from Waterbury accused of holding her stepson captive for more than 20 years was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

www.wfsb.com

 

[bugenjoyer]

wow this is so revolting. i really hope justice is served...

 

[Izzylizzy]

Is a battle brewing over the fire damage between the insurance co. and KS's lawyers?
Her legal out may be that the person "S" who admitted to starting the fire was never criminally charged with arson.
Rightfully so.

I will admit that I hope the insurance co.rejects any and all claims she may file because giving her a new and beautiful 2nd floor in her house after seeing the photos of the filthy and neglected rooms "S" was forced to survive in enrages me.

IMO:

In Case of Fire: How Do Insurance Companies Define Arson?

Does insurance cover arson? Arson committed by others may be covered. Contact our lawyers in Louisiana to defend against arson accusations.

insuranceclaimhq.com

 

[Jo in Calif]

But she did not start the fire, S was not the homeowner.


No, arson is not covered by fire insurance, but only if you committed the act. Arson means something specific here in Louisiana — it is when you intentionally try to set fire to your house.

In Case of Fire: How Do Insurance Companies Define Arson?

Does insurance cover arson? Arson committed by others may be covered. Contact our lawyers in Louisiana to defend against arson accusations.

insuranceclaimhq.com

 

[Izzylizzy]

But she did not start the fire, S was not the homeowner.


No, arson is not covered by fire insurance, but only if you committed the act. Arson means something specific here in Louisiana — it is when you intentionally try to set fire to your house.

In Case of Fire: How Do Insurance Companies Define Arson?

Does insurance cover arson? Arson committed by others may be covered. Contact our lawyers in Louisiana to defend against arson accusations.

insuranceclaimhq.com

We know that S was a son/step-son/resident in the home for over 25 yrs and intentionally set the fire.
???

 

[tlcya]

We know that S was a son/step-son/resident in the home for over 25 yrs and intentionally set the fire.
???

how much you wanna bet insurance refuses to pay because it was arson and her attorneys then try to sue S for his raised funds?

 

[tlcya]

I waited a bit before reading this article because I knew my BP was gonna skyrocket just from the snips I read here. This current tactic of the defense, well he has always been emaciated and DCF cleared her back then so obviously it's not her fault he is starved. Not worried about this tact. S is now receiving appropriate care, and is recovering nicely. You bet your butt he has gained weight with appropriate nutrition available to him. His recovery will belie KS and her excuses. A jury will see right through it. S will be able to use his voice, the one he has recently found, and tell the court what his experience in that prison was like.

I haven't seen defense attorney really attempt to explain why the locks were there on the outside of the door of his storage closet sized room. I think he may have at one point deflected by saying oh well those locks have always been there since the family moved in. Which frankly doesn't cut it. There were multiple bedrooms in that home. at least three children grew up in it. Does he really think anyone will believe the man was in that tiny little room by choice? in a house full of rooms? When it was just him and his stepmother living there? GTFOOH. MOO.

Attorney for Kimberly Sullivan says her stepson was not held captive

 

[Izzylizzy]

how much you wanna bet insurance refuses to pay because it was arson and her attorneys then try to sue S for his raised funds?

With you all the way and never even thought about her attorneys suing S.
I guess there's more room for people to despise KS and her lawyers.
If she thought she couldn't show her face in Connecticut now..lol

imo