Gerrard Kaonga
Police have released images of the conditions a man had to live in while he was allegedly imprisoned for decades by his stepmother.
Authorities confirmed earlier this month that 57-year-old Kimberly Sullivan faces a slew of charges for allegedly imprisoning her stepson.
Sullivan, from Waterbury, Connecticut, has been charged with second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, cruelty to a person, first-degree unlawful restraint, and first-degree reckless endangerment.
On March 28, she pleaded not guilty to the charges and was set free on a $300,000 bail.
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The alleged victim has said he was permitted just two sandwiches and two glasses of water per day and would only leave the tiny box room in order to do chores around the house. He has also rarely been seen since he was taken out of school at the age of 10.
The man’s room, where he started the fire measured approximately 9-by-8 feet, with an angled ceiling, according to the warrant.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was only discovered after he started a fire using a lighter, some paper, and hand sanitizer in a bid to make his escape.
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Police have now released images of the fire and smoke damage from inside the home located on Blake Street following the incident, which took place on February 17.
The images show multiple rooms were left in disarray and walls charred black from the fire. In some pictures, piles of clothing, boxes, and debris are strewn all over the floor.
Some of the photos provided by the Waterbury Police also focus on the doors of the home, including one with a lock that has been reinforced with painted plywood. It is not clear if this is the room that the man was allegedly forced to live in.
Sulivan’s lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, has insisted that she is not a ‘villain’.
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He said: “She’s not the villain she is being made out to be.
"He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations."
Since her arrest, questions have been raised in how the man could be contained within the house for so many years.
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The man’s former school principal Tom Pannone revealed that he had grown concern for the child and repeatedly contacted child protective services.
Speaking to NBC, he said: “We knew it. We reported it. Not a damn thing was done.
"Everyone really was concerned with this child since he was five years old. You knew something was wrong. It was grossly wrong. You don’t disappear off the face of the earth at 10 years old."
UNILAD has contacted Kaloidis for comment.