(NewsNation) — An attorney for the Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for more than 20 years says she is rejecting offered plea deals, which, as currently proposed, would require at least a decade in prison.
“Real simple: She didn’t do anything wrong,” lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis told “Jesse Weber Live” on Friday.
His client, 57-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment and other charges after authorities accused the woman of holding her stepson against his will at their Waterbury, Connecticut, home for over two decades.
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Authorities removed the adult male from the property in February 2025 after he reportedly started a fire at the home in hopes of being rescued. The stepson, who has not been identified publicly, reportedly weighed 68 pounds and claimed he had been a captive since age 11. In a subsequent statement, he said he was 31 at the time he was able to escape.
True-crime enthusiasts have dubbed his former residence a “house of horrors,” a nickname attached to cases where parents or guardians are accused of imprisoning family members.
Kaloidis said the first plea deal, offered by prosecutors, would see his client spend 20 years in jail. The judge in the case made a different offer under which Sullivan would be released after 10 years behind bars, he said.
“Kimberly’s been very clear with me from Day One: She hasn’t done what she’s been accused of,” the attorney said. “So, how could you take 10 or 20 years in jail for something you haven’t done?”
Kaloidis said he’s preparing for trial, which likely would start in early 2027. He said he anticipates the case will hinge on testimony from the stepson, who he says could have had a medical condition to weigh so little as an adult.
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“This child, when he was a child, there were issues early on. We have reports that he was drinking out of a urinal from 4 years old, before (Sullivan) was ever in the picture,” Kaloidis said. “There was issues with his weight when he was a child, documented.”
He said Sullivan loved her stepson and hasn’t spoken to him since shortly before the fire.
“Obviously, she’s heartbroken now. She’s shocked that he’s saying these things. It’s really turned her world upside down.”
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