Waterbury Woman Accused in Stepson’s 20-Year Captivity to Face Trial in February

WHO:

NBC News - Kimberly Sullivan is accused of holding her stepson captive and abusing him. She pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint and intentional cruelty to persons.

NBC News - Sullivan’s attorney is Ioannis Kaloidis, who said his client has consistently “maintained her innocence.”

NBC News - Sullivan’s stepson, identified in court by the alias S., and his sister are expected to testify.

NBC News - Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo described the stepson’s living situation as “worse than the conditions of a jail cell.”

WTNH - Kimberly Sullivan rejected two plea deals and chose to take the case to a jury trial.

WHAT:

NBC News - Sullivan’s case is expected to go to trial in February, with jury selection expected to begin about a month beforehand.

NBC News - A judge received confidential records obtained by state subpoena from the Department of Children and Families, Waterbury Public Schools and an undisclosed treatment facility. The judge is expected to review them and decide which may be used at trial.

NBC News - Sullivan filed motions requesting a 12-member jury instead of six and asking prosecutors not to call her stepson “the victim.” The judge granted the latter request; the jury-size motion is to be argued at the next hearing.

NBC News - The judge granted a motion requiring information that could challenge or undermine the credibility of S. and his sister to be shared during pretrial discovery.

NBC News - Sullivan rejected two plea offers: one proposed a 30-year sentence suspended after 10 years served; the state’s offer proposed 30 years, suspended after 20 years served, followed by five years of probation.

NBC News - If convicted, Sullivan faces more than 45 years in prison.

NBC News - Police released dozens of photographs of the home, showing cluttered rooms, smoke-covered walls damaged by fire, and doors with locks on the outside. Kaloidis called the release “shocking, offensive and quite frankly, ethically questionable” and said it threatened his client’s right to “a fair trial.”

WTNH - Sullivan was expected to appear for a motion hearing.

WHERE:

NBC News - The case was heard at the Waterbury Judicial District courthouse; the alleged captivity took place in Sullivan’s Waterbury home.

WTNH - The alleged captivity took place in a Waterbury, Connecticut, home.

WHEN:

NBC News - Trial is expected in February; jury selection is expected to begin about a month earlier. The next hearing on the jury-size motion is set for Nov. 23.

NBC News - Sullivan’s arrest followed the stepson’s alleged captivity, which began when he was 11 and lasted more than two decades. He was 32 when police found him.

WTNH - Sullivan rejected the plea deals at a September court appearance.

WHY:

NBC News - According to an affidavit, the stepson intentionally started a fire in his room to regain his freedom.

HOW:

NBC News - The stepson told police he had spent almost his entire life abused, starved and held captive. Police found him severely malnourished; he weighed 68 pounds at 5-foot-9 and had not received medical or dental care in years. Police described the alleged treatment as “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment.”

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 00:40 UTC)

Kimberly Sullivan has pleaded not guilty to charges including kidnapping, assault and intentional cruelty, after prosecutors accused her of holding her stepson captive and abusing him for more than two decades in her Waterbury home; police found him severely malnourished at age 32. Sullivan rejected two plea deals and chose a jury trial, expected in February, while her attorney says she has consistently maintained her innocence and has criticized the release of photographs from the home as a threat to her right to a fair trial. The judge has ordered prosecutors to share information that could undermine the credibility of Sullivan’s stepson and his sister, who are expected to testify, and will hear a motion on jury size at a hearing set for Nov. 23.