A judge has ruled that a Waterbury woman can have access to the new name, location and medical records of her stepson that she is accused of holding captive in a home in Waterbury for two decades — a decision questioned by domestic violence advocates and supporters of the man.
Kimberly Sullivan, 57, appeared Friday in Waterbury Superior Court where Judge Corinne Klatt granted a motion filed by her attorney, John Kaloidis, seeking details of Sullivan’s stepson’s new alias and address.
“It’s really just an issue of fairness and the application of the rules and the law,” Kaloidis told the Courant.
Whether the stepson’s new name or his location would have a significant impact on Sullivan’s defense remains to be seen, Kaloidis acknowledged, but he said it’s worth exploring.
“It may be relevant and it’s something that is turned over in every case,” Kaloidis said. “So this is more about fundamental fairness and making sure she is treated according to the rules and to the law. We shouldn’t make an exception because someone feels a certain way.”
During the hearing, Sullivan was warned by Klatt not to share the information with any members of the media, the public or anyone in her personal life and that she would be charged with contempt of court if she did.
Klatt’s ruling, which also granted Sullivan access to the man’s medical records, came over the objections of Donald E. Therkildsen, Jr., supervisory assistant for the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office.
“The victim is terrified of this defendant,” Therkildsen said during the hearing. “The allegation is he was literally almost dead when he made his escape from that room he’d been locked in for 20 years.”
Sullivan in March was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. Her arrest came just weeks after her stepson, who was 32 at the time, set fire to their home to alert authorities to the conditions in which he alleges he was held captive.
The man told police he was pulled from school in 2005 and was locked in an 8-foot by 9-foot storage room for most of his life with out any heat or air conditioning, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. He alleges he was only let out between 15 minutes to two hours a day to do chores, but that there were some days when he said he was locked up for 24 hours straight.
The man reportedly weighed 68 pounds at 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and had to be carried by firefighters out of the home, the warrant affidavit said. He alleged that for most of his life he was given two sandwiches and two small cups or bottles of water each day.
In his argument to Klatt, Therkildsen said the man should not be treated differently than any other domestic violence survivor who was being housed at a safe haven home.
“We certainly wouldn’t disclose the address of a safe haven home to a domestic violence abuser,” Therkildsen said.
Meghan Scanlon, president and CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the coalition agreed with Therkildsen’s position and cited safety concerns with the ruling.
“The concern we have for victims of domestic violence regardless of where they reside is safety and risk of harm and we advocate for a victim’s safety to be considered and weighed in making these decisions,” Scanlon said.
Publicly, the man has only been known as “S” since he was rescued from his alleged captivity. David Guarino, founder and president of Survivors Say, Inc. — who has served as a spokesperson for the man — said Monday that he has not said anything about Klatt’s ruling.
“S isn’t making any comment at this time on the ruling,” Guarino said.
Eugene Riccio, the attorney who represents the man, was not allowed to speak during the hearing. Though, he told the Courant he was in agreement with Therkildsen’s objection.
“I’m obviously respectful of the rights of a person accused of a serious crime, but I also think that the safety and privacy interests of our client needed to be considered as well in making the decision,” Riccio said.
“There is absolutely no difference in the law between this case or any other domestic violence case,” Riccio said. “Safety and privacy are the most important concerns that we had with regard to these motions.”
Kaloidis said he does not believe the man should have any reason to fear Sullivan and that his client understands she cannot have any contact with him.
“I understand the concern about a public disclosure because there may be people out there that want to know where he is or want to contact him, I don’t know,” Kaloidis said. “But there’s no (safety) concern from our side.”
Sullivan remains free on a $300,000 bond while her case is pending. She is subject to GPS monitoring after Klatt on Friday denied a motion filed by Kaloidis to have Sullivan’s GPS tracker removed. She said the matter could be revisited in the future.
Sullivan, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is due back in court on Dec. 19. She remains under a judge’s order to have no contact with her stepson.
The Connecticut Office of the Victim Advocate did not respond to a request for comment.