Connecticut woman accused of imprisoning stepson may have to submit to electronic monitoring, attorney says
The Connecticut woman accused of imprisoning her stepson and denying him medical care and proper food for 20 years appeared before a judge on Wednesday morning.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, said nothing as she navigated the crush of cameras outside Superior Court in Waterbury.
Inside, she had the briefest of appearances. The judge didn't even allow her to enter a plea. He's giving her lawyer two days to respond to a motion to modify her bail.
"I have yet to see the motion. It is my understanding they wish to add some kind of electronic monitoring or GPS bracelet," defense attorney Ioannis Kaloidis said.
Sullivan is expected to plead not guilty when she returns to court on Friday. The charges against her include assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, cruelty and reckless endangerment.
Disturbing details of case revealed
The courthouse is less than a mile from the rundown home Sullivan shared with her husband, Kregg, and his 32-year-old son.
Investigators say the son started a fire inside the home on Feb. 17, hoping to draw first responders so that his ordeal would finally end. When he was discovered, he weighed just 69 pounds.
The son told investigators Sullivan kept him prisoner in a small room since he was around 11 years old, with no visits to the doctor or dentist and barely enough food to stay alive.
"He was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor of Auschwitz's death camp," the prosecutor said.
The son claimed his father, who died a year ago, and stepsisters knew about the treatment, but Sullivan was the one in charge.
Waterbury police and the Department of Children and Families did welfare checks on the victim when he was first removed from school 20 years ago. Critics say there was a lack of follow-up that allowed the alleged abuse to unfold.
"Those allegations are serious, but those allegations are made by one person," Kaloidis said. "I understand the whole world has jumped on those allegations and has already convicted my client, but the good thing about America is that's not how we work. She's presumed innocent."
Victim's biological mother makes appearance
Also at court Wednesday was Tracy Vallerand, the alleged victim's biological mother, who surrendered custody more than 30 years ago. She was clearly filled with regret over losing all contact with her son.
When asked what her message is to him, Vallerand said, "That I love him and I'm sorry he had to go through this."
The son is currently in a treatment center, with a long road to heal physically and mentally.
