Connecticut woman accused of holding stepson captive for 20 years to appear in court Friday

By Hanna Park, Travis Caldwell and Asher Moskowitz, CNN

(CNN) — A Connecticut woman accused of imprisoning her stepson for nearly two decades and subjecting him to starvation and relentless abuse is set to appear in court on Friday to face charges including assault, kidnapping and cruelty.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested on March 12 and has denied the allegations through one of her attorneys, Ioannis Kaloidis. Sullivan was released on a $300,000 bond.

“He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way,” Kaloidis said. “She provided food. She provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.”

Sullivan plans to plead not guilty, her attorneys have said. At a hearing Wednesday the state gave notice to Sullivan’s attorney that it planned to file a motion to modify the conditions of her release, and Kaloidis was given until Friday to respond. Judge Joseph Schwartz asked Kaloidis to delay entering a plea for Sullivan until then.

The case came to light 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.

On February 17, emergency responders arrived at the burning home to find Sullivan and her stepson, police said. While Sullivan escaped unharmed, the man – who suffered from smoke inhalation and burns – required medical attention.

The man later told police he intentionally started the fire 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.

“Thirty-three years of law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed,” Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo said at a news conference on March 13. “It’s really hard to talk about, still.”

Tracy Vallerand, 52, in an interview with CNN affiliate News 12 Connecticut, identified herself as the biological mother of the man.

“My son had to go through years and years and years of torment, abuse, torture and neglect – when he should have been cared for,” Vallerand told News 12 Connecticut on Tuesday. “Everybody is wondering, you know – where’s the family, why didn’t the family do anything? The family has been looking for him for years.”

Vallerand explained she gave up custody of her son when he was six months old, believing she couldn’t “provide him with the love and care he deserved.”

A grim existence

The man’s account outlined in the arrest warrant paints a harrowing picture of life inside the home. He said his confinement began when he was around 11 years old. He said he was locked in a storage room with additional locks added over time, surviving each day on just two sandwiches – egg salad, tuna, or peanut butter – and a small amount of water.

By his teenage years, he said, he was constrained to his room 22 to 24 hours a day. To relieve himself, he devised a makeshift funnel to direct urine out of the window using straws, according to an affidavit included with the warrant.

The man’s allegations trace back to his early childhood. He said that by fourth grade he was scavenging for food at night, prompting Sullivan to lock him in his room. Eventually, he was removed from school entirely and was only allowed out to complete chores.

The man stated it got to a point where “the only time he would ever be out of the house once his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property” and only for about 1 minute a day, according to the affidavit.

Despite two wellness checks by the state’s Department of Children and Families and police visits in 2004, the alleged mistreatment went undetected. Authorities reported finding a home that appeared clean and “lived-in,” according to Spagnolo, and no further action was taken.

In January 2024, the man’s father died, leaving Sullivan as his sole caretaker. According to the man, Sullivan’s control over him grew even more restrictive.

About a year ago, he discovered a lighter in his late father’s jacket, which became his means of escape.

In February, he gathered printer paper for kindling, hand sanitizer for fuel, and used the lighter to start the fire. After years of alleged captivity, abuse and starvation, he said, he finally saw a path to freedom.

Search warrants later revealed plywood and locks on the door to his room, corroborating his account of confinement.

Now recovering at a medical facility, the man faces a long journey of physical and emotional healing. “There’s a lot of physical therapy that he’ll have to go through,” Spagnolo said. “There’s a lot of healing that he’ll have to go through mentally.”

Waterbury officials have pledged support for the man as he begins his recovery. “We’re committed to supporting him in every way possible as he begins to heal from this unimaginable trauma,” said Waterbury Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski.

CNN’s Michelle Krupa and Dakin Andone contributed to this article.

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