The man kept captured for 20 years, setting fire to the room, the police say: “I wanted my freedom”

Waterbury, Conn.WFSB/Gray News) – The man intentionally started a fire in a room where he was allegedly kept in captivity for over 20 years while trying to escape.

The police in Connecticut were called on February 17 to a report on an active fire in the Blake Street residence in Waterbury.

At that time, two people were at home.

The owner of the house, 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, was able to evacuate safely.

A 32-year-old man, later identified as Sullivan’s stepson, had to help at home through the Waterbury fire brigade. He suffered injuries to smoke and exposure to fire.

Talking to the first respondents, he said that he deliberately set fire to his room in his room, stating: “I wanted my freedom.”

“He lit a fire from some manual disinfectant, some paper from the printer, and lit the fire when he was locked in this room from the outside. He lit this fire very well, knowing that he could die, but he was locked in a room for 20 years and tried to get out of this room for 20 years, “said the prosecutor on Wednesday in court.

The man said Sullivan was imprisoned because he was about 11 years old.

“Absolutely not true,” said Sullivan’s lawyer. “He wasn’t locked in the room. She did not stop him in any way. She provided food and provided shelter, and she surprised these allegations. Absolutely not.

When he was taken to the hospital, he weighed about 68 pounds.

“Without exaggeration he was similar to the survivors of the Auschwitz death camp,” said the prosecutor.

The investigation began.

“Detectives have determined that the victim has been kept in captivity for over 20 years, permanent prolonged abuse, hunger, serious negligence and inhuman treatment,” the police said. “He was found in a seriously emaciated state and did not receive medical or dental care.”

According to investigators, he also received minimal amounts of food and water, which led to his extremely malnourished state.

He told the police that he would receive only two cups of water a day, sometimes forced to drink from the toilet.

The room in which he was allegedly kept had 8 feet on 9 feet.

According to the order, the victim was only allowed to perform duties for their stepmother.

In the end, however, he was allowed to release his dog, which means he was out of room for about a minute a day.

According to the order, he was pulled out of school in the fourth grade and said that he had no contact with anyone outside his home. The last two reports to control well -being come from April 2005.

He said that he left the house with his father for the last time when he was 14 or 15 years old.

According to the arrest order, the man told the police the threat of losing the minimal food he received, and the longer blockage stopped him from trying to explode.

He also said that only his stepmother, his compact father, two natural sisters and the deceased grandmother knew about their situation.

Sullivan was arrested and accused of assaulting in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, illegal limitation to the first degree, cruelty to people and a reckless threat to the first degree.

Sullivan was accused in court and her bond was set at USD 300,000.

“The suffering that this victim has survived for over 20 years is both painful and unimaginable. This case required constant investigation, and I praise the dedication of our officers and the office of the Waterbury Prosecutor. Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice would be served and the perpetrator is fully responsible for these terrifying crimes, “said Waterbury Police head Fernando Spagnolo.

The neighbors were shocked, knowing that it only developed feet from the place where they live.

Zeffery Guarner was a home on the night of fire. He says he has never seen a victim.

“I just thought it was an accident, and then, when the investigator began to ask me about a man who could look like a child, I thought,” I don’t know what you’re talking about, “said Guarner.

Stasierba Guarner says that she saw a man in a window over ten years ago.

“In the yard I was on the swing and looked at the back window and I just saw a little boy there, or he looked like a little boy, and he just smiled and waved, and I waved, and when I turned my head and looked from the window, he was not a neighbor Shae Baker.

Both were shocked by what happened behind this window.

“I was very shocked. I think I found out that maybe I just came up with all these years ago, but I just hope that he would get help, which he has to heal from everything – added Baker. “If you have been with this window and you do not touch the window and do not shout or do something that he asks for help that you had to take place, I can’t imagine how terrible his conditions were.”

The victim is still treated in a medical facility.

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