WATERBURY, Conn. (Court TV) — A Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for years inside their home has rejected a plea offer from prosecutors, saying she wants to move forward to trial.
Kimberly Sullivan, 58, is charged with two counts of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, intentional cruelty and assault after her stepson accused her of forcing him to stay inside his locked room for 20 years.
Prosecutors said at a hearing Friday morning that they extended an offer to Sullivan's attorney: In exchange for a guilty plea to a single charge on each offense, prosecutors would recommend a sentence of 30 years—suspended after 20 years—followed by five years of probation. The judge indicated she would more likely impose a sentence suspended after 10 years in prison.
If she is found guilty at trial, Sullivan faces a sentence of 10 to 25 years for each of the kidnapping charges, a maximum of 20 years for the assault charge and five years each for the intentional cruelty and unlawful restraint charges.
Speaking directly to the judge, Sullivan confirmed that she was not interested in accepting the plea agreement and wanted to proceed to trial. The judge warned her that if she proceeded to trial, prosecutors would withdraw the offer and might not extend it again; Sullivan confirmed that she understood the potential consequences.
The alleged victim in the case, who has asked to be identified as "S," was rescued from the house where he and the defendant lived in 2025 after he said he intentionally set a fire in hopes of attracting help. When first responders found him, he weighed 68 pounds and said that he had been locked in his room since age 11. In interviews with investigators, S said he drank water from the toilet and ate food from the garbage; he claimed he was pulled from school as a child and made to clean the house during the day.
Sullivan's attorney asked the judge to remove his client's GPS monitoring bracelet as well as "IPS" monitoring, which he said she has worn for the last 18 months since her release from custody. "There have been zero violations, there have been zero even concerns about violations," Sullivan's attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, said in court. "I don't believe the GPS is necessary. It does require daily charging for an hour. We are moving toward trial preparation; I do believe it is unnecessary and an inconvenience."
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The judge agreed to remove the "IPS" monitor but said the GPS monitor would remain in place, citing the probation office's recommendation. Sullivan will still have to report to her probation officer once a month for the GPS device to be inspected.
The attorneys plan to return to argue motions before a different judge, who is slated to preside over the trial, on Oct. 20.
The post Woman accused of holding stepson captive for decades rejects plea deal appeared first on Court TV.
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