WATERBURY, CT – A Connecticut woman, accused of imprisoning her stepson for nearly two decades and subjected him to starvation and relentless abuse, appeared in court Friday.
She pleaded not guilty to charges including assault, kidnapping, and cruelty.
The judge ordered her to wear a GPS ankle
monitor while she is out on bond.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, appeared in court after prosecutors filed a motion to modify the conditions of her release.
“Since the arraignment, the state has had an opportunity to meet with the victim. His first question is, ‘Why is she walking around when I was locked up in a room for 20 years?’” Donald Therkildsen said.
The judge denied the state’s request to place Sullivan under house arrest, but did order GPS monitoring.
Outside of court, her attorney pushed back against what he called the public’s rush to judgment.
“It is crucially important that she has a fair trial. It is crucially important that we protect the presumption of innocence,” Sullivan’s attorney Ioannis Kaloidis said.
Prosecutors say the alleged victim is living in fear of Sullivan.
His account, outlined in the arrest warrant, paints a harrowing picture of life inside their home, which he set on fire to escape. He said his confinement began when he was around 11 years old.
When police found him, he was severely emaciated, weighing just 70 pounds at 5’9”.
“The allegations are arguably the most troubling that I’ve seen during my tenure as a judge, and show, really, an unthinkable amount of lack of empathy, and I do stress that there are just allegations. The reason I put GPS monitoring on you has nothing to do with you being guilty. It shouldn’t be interpreted that way,” Connecticut superior court judge Joseph B. Schwartz said.
The next court date is set for April 22.
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