How a Man Escaped 20-Year Captivity Using Hand Sanitizer and Paper
Originally appeared on E! Online
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
A 32-year-old man set fire to his home Feb. 17 after allegedly being held captive by his stepmother for over 20 years, according to authorities in Waterbury, Conn.
The man, whose name has not been made public, started the fire with printer paper and hand sanitizer, using a lighter found in his late father's jacket to ignite the blaze, he told police according to CNN. While receiving medical care for smoke inhalation and fire exposure, he told first responders, per a news release from the Waterbury Police Department, that he started the blaze intentionally, explaining, 'I wanted my freedom.'
Following an investigation, the man's stepmother Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was taken into custody over allegations that she forced her stepson to endure over two decades of 'prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,' according to the news release.
Prosecutors also said during a March 12 court hearing that the man—who told police Sullivan kept him captive since he was roughly 11 years old, per NBC Connecticut—knew his escape plan came with significant risk but that he was desperate to flee his hellish reality.
'He lit that fire very well knowing he could die,' one prosecutor told a judge during the court date, per WFSB, '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.'
Meanwhile, Sullivan's lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis fiercely denied the allegations brought against his client, including the accusation that she kept her stepson captive.
'That is absolutely not true,' Kaloidis told NBC Connecticut. '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.'
The attorney added that more information will help exonerate Sullivan.
'We think as the evidence comes out, you'll see that she's not the villain she's being made out to be,' Kaloidis continued. 'Absolutely not.'
Sullivan was charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree and cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Her bond was set at $300,000 and her next court date is scheduled for March 26.
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Authorities discovered that the man—who is 5-foot-9—had not received medical or dental care throughout his alleged captivity and had only received minimal food and water, the WPD news release continued. When he was found, prosecutors said he weighed only 68 pounds and experienced daily hunger, NBC Connecticut reported.
Prosecutors also said during a March 12 court hearing that the man—who told police Sullivan kept him captive since he was roughly 11 years old, per NBC Connecticut—knew his escape plan came with significant risk but that he was desperate to flee his hellish reality.
'He lit that fire very well knowing he could die,' one prosecutor told a judge during the court date, per WFSB, '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.'
Meanwhile, Sullivan's lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis fiercely denied the allegations brought against his client, including the accusation that she kept her stepson captive.
'That is absolutely not true,' Kaloidis told NBC Connecticut. '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.'
The attorney added that more information will help exonerate Sullivan.
'We think as the evidence comes out, you'll see that she's not the villain she's being made out to be,' Kaloidis continued. 'Absolutely not.'
Sullivan was charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree and cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Her bond was set at $300,000 and her next court date is scheduled for March 26.
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