A wicked stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, has been arrested and charged with a series of horrifying crimes after authorities discovered that she allegedly kept her stepson locked in a small room for two decades.
Sullivan, 56, is now facing charges that include assault and kidnapping following a shocking rescue that exposed years of alleged abuse and neglect.
Wicked stepmother arrested after captive sets fire
Authorities became aware of the situation on February 17, when emergency crews responded to a house fire in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Firefighters arrived to find a 32-year-old man, reportedly Sullivan’s stepson, severely malnourished and weighing only 68 pounds.
According to prosecutors, his emaciated condition was comparable to that of a Holocaust survivor.
The victim, whose name has not been released, later admitted to authorities that he intentionally started the fire in a desperate attempt to escape his confinement. “I wanted my freedom,” he reportedly told police.
According to court documents made public on Wednesday, the man had been kept in an 8-by-9-foot room, locked away for most hours of the day. He was provided with just two sandwiches and a snack daily.
The night of the fire, he was briefly allowed out around 7 p.m. to change a light bulb in the kitchen but was locked back in his room after failing the task.
The victim recounted to investigators that around 8 p.m., he heard Sullivan go into her bedroom, marking a routine moment in his daily captivity.
It was then that he made the bold decision to set a fire inside his cramped quarters, using hand sanitizer, paper, a stack of games, and a lighter.
He had discovered the lighter a year prior, hidden in a jacket he was allowed to keep after his father’s passing.
Fully aware of the potential consequences, the victim reportedly realized he had to allow the fire to grow beyond Sullivan’s ability to extinguish it, forcing her to call for help.
Hostage stepson risks life for freedom from Kimberly Sullivan
“Once the fire got going good, he started to stomp and yell for help. [He] stated that Sullivan yelled to him asking what he wanted, and he told her ‘fire,’” according to the court complaint.
When Sullivan finally unbolted the door, the victim allegedly lied and told her a radio had malfunctioned to avoid immediate repercussions. However, by this point, he had already collapsed at the top of the stairs.
Sullivan, according to his account, forced him to get up and wash his face in the downstairs bathroom, seemingly to conceal his true condition from first responders.
At the same time that firefighters arrived, the victim’s sister and her boyfriend entered the house.
According to reports, Sullivan frantically told them to “get a screwdriver to get the locks off of the door.”
The complaint describes how the victim purposefully remained on the floor despite Sullivan’s demands that he get up, ensuring that emergency personnel would find him.
Investigators believe the victim had been held captive in the home since the age of 11, subjected to prolonged abuse, neglect, and inhumane treatment by his wicked stepmother. Throughout these years, he reportedly received no medical or dental care.
Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo addressed the severity of the case, stating, “The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable.
“This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office,” he continued.
“Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice is served, and the perpetrator is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes.”
During Sullivan’s arraignment on Wednesday, Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen described the circumstances as “something out of a horror movie,” noting his commentary was, “without exaggeration.”
Prosecutors further revealed that the victim’s desperation had reached such a critical level that he knowingly risked his own life to escape.
“He lit that fire very well knowing he could die,” one prosecutor stated in court. “But he had been locked in the room for 20 years, and for 20 years he’d been trying to get out of that room.”
Reports indicate that the victim’s living conditions worsened following his father’s death last year.
He told authorities that he was given only two cups of water per day and, at times, was forced to drink from the toilet to stay hydrated.
Attorney of wicked stepmother denies decades of abuse
Sullivan’s defense attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, has strongly denied the allegations, maintaining his client’s innocence.
“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 stated in an interview with NBC Connecticut.
“We look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong.”
Kaloidis continued to challenge the accusations, asserting that the victim was not restrained or deprived of basic necessities.
“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.”
Despite Sullivan’s claims of innocence, she is currently being held on a $300,000 bond as the investigation into the case continues.
Authorities are expected to pursue further legal action as they uncover more details about the victim’s years of alleged captivity and mistreatment.
