Latest news with #Kaloidis
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Stepmother in alleged Waterbury captivity case returns to court for pre-trial hearing
The archive video above aired on March 27. WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — The Waterbury woman accused of holding her stepson captive for more than 20 years is due back in Waterbury Superior Court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing. Kimberly Sullivan has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and more. The last time she was in court, she was outfitted with a GPS monitor/bracelet, but the judge declined to subject her to house arrest. Stepmother in alleged Waterbury captivity case returns to court for pre-trial hearing Sullivan was released after posting bond in March and has been on intensive pretrial supervision. When entering the 'not guilty' plea on her behalf in late March, Sullivan's attorney Ioannis Kaloidis opted for a jury trial. During the proceeding, the judge mentioned Sullivan was admitted to a hospital for mental health reasons at some point since her last court appearance. Man allegedly held captive by stepmother in Waterbury releases first public statement Outside the courthouse that day, Kaloidis said he's fighting to keep court proceedings impartial. 'I know everyone wants to crucify her, everyone has already convicted her, but that's not how this works. And it's not how it's going to work. The burden is not going to shift to the defense, the burden rests on the state,' Kaloidis said. 'They've got to prove these allegations in court. And we're a long way from that.' Since that March appearance, the alleged victim in the case released his first public statement. Photos show living conditions of Waterbury man allegedly held captive by stepmom for over 20 years The 32-year-old said, in part, he's been getting stronger as he begins the process of reclaiming his life. According to authorities, the man was starved, abused, and locked in a small room for most of his life. In February, he set his room on fire to escape over 20 years of alleged captivity. When he was examined, according to court documents, the 5'9″ man weighed under 70 pounds, and he was malnourished and emaciated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Attorney for ‘house of horrors' mom denies stepson held captive
(NewsNation) — The defense attorney for a Connecticut woman accused of keeping her stepson captive for 20 years pushed back on the allegations Friday and said prosecutors will have to prove their case in court with testimony from the alleged victim. Kimberly Sullivan is out on bond and faces several charges, including kidnapping and unlawful restraint, after her adult stepson set fire to their Waterbury home Feb. 17. Police say the 32-year-old man, who has not been identified publicly, weighed 68 pounds and claimed to have been locked away in cruel and filthy conditions since he was a child. Mother of man rescued from Connecticut 'House of Horrors': 'I love you' Sullivan's defense attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, appearing on 'Banfield,' said there is another side to the story. 'She is shocked that everyone has condemned her and automatically believed everything that has come out,' he said of his client. 'She's blown away.' Kaloidis rebutted several allegations, including claims that the stepson had been 'restrained' in the home. 'There are exterior locks on almost every door inside that house, and those locks predated my client ever moving in the house,' he said. 'The presence of the lock doesn't prove anything, is not illegal.' As to the weight of the stepson, Kaloidis said he was historically underweight as a child. 'The weight itself doesn't prove anything,' he said. 'The state still has to connect the dots. What they're claiming is his weight was this because she starved him.' Stepmother accused of holding stepson captive appears in court The stepson, Kaloidis added, 'is going to have to get on that stand and convince a jury that that is the cause and effect.' Sullivan's late husband, the boy's father, was the custodial parent, the attorney said. 'She did not prevent him ever from going to the doctor. His father called the shots,' Kaloidis said. The stepson released a public statement this week through a nonprofit group, Survivors Say, in which he thanked medical professionals and others for helping him over the past several weeks. He referred to himself as 'S.' 'I am choosing a new name for myself, and I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future. My name is my choice, and it is the first of many choices I will make for myself now that I am free,' the statement said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
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. More from E! Online Pretty Little Liars' Lucy Hale Is Dating Too Hot to Handle Alum Harry Jowsey Kate Hudson Says Matthew McConaughey Is One of Her "Great Loves" Kim Kardashian Reveals She Paid for Kris Humphries Engagement Ring—and Had to Give It Back in Divorce 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. For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
