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

[keek]

So, why was he still locked up after the husband died?

Stepmother honoring her beloved husbands wishes.. not.. but sure he def would be talking and being seen and THEN BAM.. she was also the co monster.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I wonder if the stepmother will have similar cult like beliefs along the lines of the Turpin family.

I don't know about the cult like beliefs but hopefully KS joins the Turpin life sentence club even if it's a possible parole after 25 yrs.

 

[MrsWatson]

Depraved. Stepmother, father, grandmother who knew, half-sisters. All of them were apparently A-Okay with this. The uncle, stepmother's brother, who apparently tried to raise concerns, was frozen out. He likely convinced himself he was overreacting and now, this. I'm heartened to hear he visited MV* at the hospital and hopefully will be a source of some comfort to him.

*Since his name is rightfully not given, I called him MV as in the warrant. MV instead of Male Victim, to me, is Mister Victor. I'm sure rooting for him.

moo

ebm twice because i can't grammar

 

[Vaderman]

Inside house of horrors where stepmom 'held stepson for 20 years'

The stepson, 32, says he was only allowed outside for 'about 1 minute a day' to 'let the family dog out in the back of the property', the affidavit states. Kimberly Sullivan denies the charges.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Gemmie]

Inside house of horrors where stepmom 'held stepson for 20 years'

The stepson, 32, says he was only allowed outside for 'about 1 minute a day' to 'let the family dog out in the back of the property', the affidavit states. Kimberly Sullivan denies the charges.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I'm guessing the pic you posted with dog bowls on the floor and a cage are for their dog, not for the poor young man as he was forced to live in a small room 8' x 9'.

He alleges that Sullivan would lock him in an 8-foot-by-9-foot room with no heat or air conditioning for 22 hours a day,

Inside house of horrors where stepmom 'held stepson for 20 years'

 

[alexwood]

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, posted the $300,000 bail set by a judge during an appearance at Waterbury Superior Court on Thursday morning, according to Connecticut court records and her lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis.


Prosecutors argued that Sullivan should be placed on house arrest or be made to wear an electronic monitoring device should she post bail, but the judge declined to make either of those conditions part of her release.


Sullivan will have regular check-ins while out on bail as is standard and is due back in court of March 26, Kaloidis tells PEOPLE.

Woman Accused of Holding Stepson Captive for 20 Years in House of Horrors Released From Custody After Posting $300,000 Bail

Kimberly Sullivan will not be made to wear an electronic monitoring device or be placed under house arrest.

people.com

Well, there will be a trial. This pre-trial crap is just that. She will get what she deserves -- or, as close as possible to it. [We well know that, although she deserves the death penalty, that won't happen.] Her final judgment will be deferred.

 

[Bounceycat]

https://www.ctinsider.com/waterbury/article/kimberly-sullivan-waterbury-stepson-blake-street-20219700.php

City land records show Kregg Sullivan, the victim's late father, purchased their Blake Street home in 1996 and added Kimberly Sullivan to the deed two years later.

City records show the family had financial difficulties beginning in 2003 when a series of water and sewer liens were filed on the property.

A home where food became currency, and disobedience meant longer punishments and more days behind the locked door, the warrant described. A life reduced to routine: Let out in the mornings for chores, given two sandwiches, and locked away again for the rest of the day, according to the warrant.

 

[alexwood]

So, why was he still locked up after the husband died?

Great point!

 

[alexwood]

Perhaps to prevent him from going to LE and telling them about the abuse

Oh, heck. She could have let him out of his "prison". Then, she could have killed him with kindness, so to speak. No -- she was just pure evil and abusing him, ultimately, for her own self-gratification. I want to know everything of her background leading to this horrific behavior.

Speaking of which, I think that we will later learn that physical abuse was not the only abuse that the child/young man suffered at her hands.

 

[DS2021]

Speaking of which, I think that we will later learn that physical abuse was not the only abuse that the child/young man suffered at her hands.

He claims that she only physically struck him once, and there was no sexual abuse

 

[alexwood]

Stepmother honoring her beloved husbands wishes.. not.. but sure he def would be talking and being seen and THEN BAM.. she was also the co monster.

Don't kid yourself. She was in the driver's seat. The "beloved husband" was spineless. (IMO)

 

[alexwood]

He claims that she only physically struck him once, and there was no sexual abuse

Perhaps, as time goes on, he will reveal more.

 

[vls12345]

I sure hope that part of the terms of her release include no contact with the victim, nor with anyone else who might be considered witnesses (victim's step-sisters). I could see her trying to "influence" him to change his story. She needs no contact with him, for his health, safety, and well-being.

Imo.

 

[JoeFromLB]

What?! Like why though... that poor soul.

There is real, profound evil in this world. It's unexplainable on a rational level.

My avatar: Tiffany Wright, who was locked up in her room and systematically starved to death by her mother and mom's boyfriend while the two partied in the tavern below.
Mom is already out of prison and free as a bird.

 

[HMSHood]

Sick crime all around. I wonder what happened to the mother of the victim. Did she divorce or pass away. Looks like the father knew what was going on and did nothing. Makes him just as bad as Kimberly Sullivan.

 

[Izzylizzy]

"Connecticut's 'lax' homeschooling rules could have aided boy's abuse, some education advocates say"​

Connecticut's 'lax' homeschooling rules could have aided boy's abuse, some education advocates say

The state's system is largely unregulated and open to misuse by abusive parents, they said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[rleigh123]

Tom Pannone, who was the boy’s principal at Barnard Elementary School two decades ago, told NBC Connecticut that he always knew something was “grossly wrong” after staffers first spotted the worryingly thin child stealing food and eating out of the garbage.

“Everyone really was concerned with this child since he was 5 years old. You knew something was wrong. It was grossly wrong,” Pannone said.

“We knew it. We reported it. Not a damn thing was done. That’s the tragedy of the whole thing.
Principal of severely malnourished boy held captive for decades raised red flags years ago: ‘Not a damn thing was done’

the principal says the school made at least 20 calls about their concerns for the boy. and yet this young man suffered another 20 years.

IMO MOO

Well thanks a lot Principal Tom. That's great he made 20 calls, good start. Too bad he didn't follow up. It's everyone's job, in such employment fields, to look out for the vulnerable.


ETA: I suppose it would be quite a task to follow up on / keep track of every child where abuse was reported, when the child is no longer at the school.


Maybe there should be such a system in place at multiple agencies and organizations for such extreme cases. It's so easy for vulnerable people to fall through the cracks. A second look, reminder, phone calls, etc. could be a useful safety net.

IMO MOO

 

[rleigh123]

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, posted the $300,000 bail set by a judge during an appearance at Waterbury Superior Court on Thursday morning, according to Connecticut court records and her lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis.


Prosecutors argued that Sullivan should be placed on house arrest or be made to wear an electronic monitoring device should she post bail, but the judge declined to make either of those conditions part of her release.


Sullivan will have regular check-ins while out on bail as is standard and is due back in court of March 26, Kaloidis tells PEOPLE.

Woman Accused of Holding Stepson Captive for 20 Years in House of Horrors Released From Custody After Posting $300,000 Bail

Kimberly Sullivan will not be made to wear an electronic monitoring device or be placed under house arrest.

people.com

MOO IMO

I was afraid this would happen. Seems the CT justice system is similar to CA and NY. I hope wherever the victim is that he is safe, and being reassured that he is.

MOO IMO

 

[rleigh123]

IMO:
I'm starting to think that defense lawyers for evil, abusive parents have a handbook they quote from when addressing the media.

I'm surprised he didn't say that the step-son (victim) suffered from anorexia.
My favorite line is “We look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong.”

Kaloidis has best take a peak and see how prior juries felt about evil women like KS who tortured children/adult then tried to blame the dead father.

snip:
“She completely maintains her innocence, from our perspective. These allegations are not true. They are outlandish. She was blown away when she heard these allegations,” Kaloidis said. “We look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong.”

Kaloidis said his client never locked her stepson in a room.

“That is absolutely not true," Kaloidis said. "He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations. It is shocking and what's more shocking to me? It's how somebody can (be) falsely accused of such a thing."

He said Sullivan’s husband dictated how his son would be raised. Kaloidis said the husband has since passed away."

IMO MOO




"She completely maintains her innocence, from our perspective. These allegations are not true. They are outlandish."


There is simply no excuse. He was 68 pounds and unable to function aside from being so desperate for help that he set the house he was in on fire.

Interesting he added "from our perspective."

Outlandish: strikingly out of the ordinary; exceeding proper or reasonable limits or standards; bizarre. (Merriam-Webster)

Yes, indeed. That is one way to describe it.

MOO IMO

 

[appleatcha]

My opinion only: It sounds to me like the principal did everything he could for this child. I'm perplexed by those who think this was somehow the school or the principal's fault. The neglect was allegedly reported to CPS 20+ times. I'm generally supportive of child welfare workers, but if we're looking for someone outside the family to blame, I think CPS should have followed up with a more thorough investigation into a family that was being reported that many times. It sounds like the school did everything they could. Principals and teachers can't kidnap a child to save them from abuse or prevent their family from taking them out of school to "home school." Blaming the principal by name on a public forum seems inappropriately harsh. MOO.