A Waterbury woman accused of holding her stepson captive inside their family home for more than 20 years is now headed toward trial, with jury selection expected in late January and opening proceedings set for late February. Kimberly Sullivan has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint and intentional cruelty to persons, and her attorneys continue to insist she is innocent.
The case centers on a man now 33 years old who goes by the name “S” and says he was trapped in the home until he escaped last year. According to WFSB, S set a fire inside the house on Feb. 17, 2025, to escape, and he was found weighing just 68 pounds despite standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, according to NBC News. Firefighters rescued him from the home that day, according to a seed report from WJAR.
Plea Deals Rejected as Trial Date Nears
Sullivan rejected two separate plea offers in September, both of which reportedly involved 30-year sentences suspended after either 10 or 20 years followed by probation, the station's report states. Instead, the case is moving toward a jury trial, with jury selection expected to begin in late January and the trial itself expected to start in late February, per the same account from WFSB.
Court filings show both sides have agreed on at least one procedural point: neither side will use the word “victim” to refer to S during trial, according to NBC Connecticut. That outlet also reported that Sullivan appeared in Waterbury Superior Court in March 2025 as the case began working through the system.
Judge Weighing Years of Confidential Records
Much of the pretrial fight now centers on what evidence jurors will ultimately see. A judge is reviewing dozens of confidential records from the Department of Children and Families, Waterbury Public Schools and a treatment facility to determine which can be used during trial, NBC News reported. Those records reportedly include documentation of alleged child maltreatment, prior investigations, communications with doctors and schools, and safety and risk assessments, according to NBC Connecticut.
DCF visited Sullivan and her stepson six times between 1996 and 2005, per the station's report. The agency has previously said it did not have enough evidence to remove S from the home at the time, while S's attorney argues those same records show failures to intervene and protect him, according to WFSB's reporting. Not yet turned over to the court are decades-old calls to the state's child abuse and neglect hotline, which NBC Connecticut reports are still being converted from outdated recording equipment to current technology.
Separate Civil Claim Against the State
Beyond the criminal case, a separate claim accuses DCF of mishandling reports it received about S's family between 1996 and 2005. The state has moved to dismiss that claim, arguing in court filings that it was filed in 2026 — more than twenty years after the agency's involvement ended — and is therefore untimely, according to CT Mirror.
Sullivan's defense has pushed back hard on how the case has been characterized publicly. Her attorneys told WFSB that “the characterization that Ms. Sullivan held the accuser hostage is patently false,” maintaining her innocence as the case heads toward a courtroom showdown early next year.
