Privacy Policy » Photos & Bodycam Reveal Inside of Home Man Claims Stepmom Held Him Captive in for 20 Years

“The release of sensitive evidence by the Waterbury Police Department in a pending and active investigation is shocking, offensive and quite frankly, ethically questionable,” said Sullivan’s attorney Ioannis Kaloidis in a statement released to the CT Post Tuesday.

Sullivan, 57, has been accused of holding her stepson, 32, captive inside of the house for two decades. He allegedly set a fire in his bedroom in his desperation to escape captivity, leading to his eventual escape as the house burned and firefighters carried him out.

“It only serves to solidify public opinion against Ms. Sullivan,” Kaloidis said of the new materials released. “Justice requires the protection of constitutional rights and ultimately, a fair trial.”

In a motion asking the judge to order prosecutors to preserve documents relating to any Freedom of Information requests, Kaloidis said the release that did happen “appears to be a deliberate effort to influence public opinion bearing directly on the defendant’s right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.”

“We call for an immediate investigation into the release of these photos and videos,” he added, arguing, “We intend to fight these outrageous allegations every step of the way.” Sullivan has maintained her innocence from the beginning.

Among the items released is bodycam video from the night of the fire, shared her via CBS affiliate WFSB. In the footage, Sullivan denied that her stepson was locked in his room that day, or ever, as covered by The New York Post.

According to the news outlet, Sullivan was with one of her two adult daughters at the time she was questioned — the daughter had reportedly arrived shortly after emergency responders.

While sitting in her daughter’s car nearby, an officer’s bodycam footage revealed how Sullivan responded to questions after her stepson claimed to firefighters and police that he’d been held captive and locked inside his room for 20 years.

“Was the door locked on his room, or no?” she was asked in the footage, to which she replied, “No.” When asked if it was “normally locked,” she again replied, “No.”

“And he has free reign to go out of there whenever he wants?” Sullivan was asked. Her response was, “Yeah,” but police are alleging that she was lying then and continues to lie.

Among the photographs released to CT Insider are images of the extensive smoke and fire damage the house sustained, as well as photos of the man’s bedroom door, which appeared fitted with multiple locks police say were used to keep him confined.

Speaking to the press after Sullivan’s arrest on March 12, Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo told the media that investigators had recovered the door and doorjamb from the stepson’s room. He said they showed evidence of locks that evolved over time to, they believe, increase in security as the victim grew up and grew stronger.

The arrest warrant further detailed that the stepson’s door had plywood reinforcing both sides, which they believe was another measure to prevent tampering with the locks, per CT Insider.

In the released photos, a cluttered downstairs area, including kitchen and living room, are largely unimpacted by the fire, while there is extensive smoke and fire damage in photos taken from the upstairs area, where the stepson’s bedroom was.

Late last month, Sullivan’s 911 call was also released to the media.

FOX NY obtained audio from Kimberly Sullivan’s initial call for help. “Oh my god. Please hurry. There’s a fire! Oh my god, there’s a fire!” Sullivan exclaims to the 911 operator during the call, as the operator asks what’s on fire.

“The TV? I don’t know. My son, my stepson, was up in his room and I don’t know, he did something with the TV. I was sleeping, I fell asleep,” Sullivan cries, confirming there are flames and smoke in the home.

“We need an ambulance, please! His room, the TV in his room!” she shouts, as the operator asks if her stepson was injured or on fire. “Yes! He’s injured! Please send an ambulance,” Sullivan yells into the phone.

When asked again whether he’s injured, she adds, “I don’t know, he’s kind of passed out. He’s out of it. Oh my god, it’s like all the power in the house is out. I don’t know if it blew a fuse.”

Bodycam footage from the scene shows Sullivan outside her home, as first responders ask her who else is in the residence.

“My stepson is in here. I’m trying to have them help him out. That’s it. I have two cats,” she tells the man. “Everybody’s out?” the officer asks, as she says, “Yes.” He then asks, “But your stepson’s still inside?”

As she says “he’s right there,” a firefighter can be seen coming out the front door, carrying another person. As she shares concern for her “shaking” dog, authorities usher her away from the scene — before the stepson is placed into an ambulance.

Authorities first became involved after an emergency call for an active fire at approximately 8:42 p.m. on February 17. That call came from Sullivan, the owner of the property that was aflame.

While the fire was quickly extinguished and Sullivan was able to evacuate of her own will, the other resident in the home needed assistance from Waterbury Fire Department’s Fire personnel.

“While receiving medical care [for smoke inhalation], the male victim disclosed to first responders that he had intentionally set the fire in his upstairs room,” officials said in a statement regarding the case.

As for why he started the fire, they said he told them simply, “I wanted my freedom.”

“He further alleged that he had been held captive by Sullivan since he was approximately 11 years old,” the statement continued. According to CBS affiliate WFSB, which shared the full arrest affidavit, the man allegedly spent those years locked inside an 8-foot by 9-foot room.

The alleged victim “lit a fire with some hand sanitizer, some paper from a printer, and he lit that fire while he was locked in that room from the outside,” said a prosecutor in court, per WFSB.

“He lit that fire very well knowing he could die,” the prosecutor continued, “but he had been locked in the room for 20 years, and for 20 years he’d been trying to get out of that room.”

See more of the horrific allegations about Sullivan here.

Sullivan’s attorney Ioannis Kaloidis said the suspect’s late husband Kregg Sullivan — who died in 2024 — “was in control” of the situation and was the one who decided to confine his son to a 8-foot by 9-foot room starting at the age of 11.

“Ultimately it was the father which dictated the manner in which his son was raised and my client was only carrying out his orders,” Kaloidis told PEOPLE, before also denying the stepson’s claims that he wasn’t allowed to shower. “My client encouraged him to bathe but she is not going to force a 32-year-old man to take care of himself,” Kaloidis said.

The attorney also claimed the man was never locked in his room and left the house daily for chores, like taking the trash. Per Kaloidis, “He could have just walked away then if he wanted to leave.”

“This is just one side of the story and people should not rush to judgment. These allegations are horrific but there are two sides to every story, and my client plans to defend herself against these allegations,” Kaloidis concluded.

While Sullivan’s lawyer is shifting blame to her late husband, the stepson spoke more favorably about him when talking to police about the alleged abuse.

According to Sullivan’s arrest affidavit, the man stated that he would “be let out of his room for longer periods of time by his father” and claimed “that while Sullivan took his sisters to events and to see friends, his father would allow him to come out and watch television with him.”

“When discussing his father dying, he stated that his captivity and restraint got even worse,” said police. “[He] stated that it got to a point where the only time he would ever be out of the house once since his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property.”

Sullivan is free on $300,000 bond after pleading not guilty to all of the charges against her this past Friday, including felony charges of second-degree kidnapping, and first-degree unlawful restraint. She was also charged with cruelty to a person, and first-degree reckless endangerment, per CT Insider.