Woman accused of holding stepson captive over 20 years in abusive conditions to go to trial in February

The case of a Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for over two decades is expected to go to trial in February.

A judge at the Waterbury Judicial District courthouse received a series of confidential records in the case against Kimberly Sullivan during a hearing on Tuesday. Sullivan wasn’t present at the hearing.

Over the next several weeks, the judge is expected to review the records obtained via a state subpoena from the Department of Children and Families, the Waterbury Public Schools and an undisclosed treatment facility. He will then determine which ones can be used during the trial.

Sullivan’s case drew national attention after shocking details around the allegations that her stepson had been living in captivity since he was 11 began to emerge following her arrest in March 2025.

According to an affidavit, Sullivan’s 32-year-old stepson told police that he had spent almost his entire life being abused, starved and held in captivity — prompting him to intentionally start a fire in his room in order to regain his freedom.

At the home, police found the man severely malnourished, noting he had not received medical or dental care in years and had been subjected to “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment,” according to police.

At the time of Sullivan’s arrest, her 5-foot-9 stepson weighed 68 pounds.

“It was worse than the conditions of a jail cell,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo told reporters last year of the man’s living situation.

In April 2025, Waterbury police released dozens of photos from inside the home through a Freedom of Information request to NBC Connecticut, showing rooms cluttered with items, walls covered in smoke and destroyed from the fire, and doors with locks on the outside.

Ioannis Kaloidis, Sullivan’s attorney, decried the release of the images at the time, telling NBC Connecticut that the move by police was “shocking, offensive and quite frankly, ethically questionable” and threatened his client’s right to “a fair trial.”

Sullivan pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint and intentional cruelty to persons.

Sullivan also rejected two different plea deals in September: one offered by the judge, granting her a 30-year sentence to be suspended after serving 10 years, and another one from the state. The latter one included 30 years in prison, suspended after 20 years served, and five years of probation.

Kaloidis has said his client has consistently “maintained her innocence.”

During Tuesday’s hearing, Kaloidis filed a series of motions, including a request for a 12-member jury, instead of six, and another one asking state prosecutors not to refer to Sullivan’s stepson as “the victim” during the trial. The first motion will be argued in the next court hearing set for Nov. 23. The judge granted the second one on Tuesday.

Sullivan’s stepson, who is only identified in court by the alias S., is expected to testify during the trial, NBC Connecticut reported.

The judge granted a motion filed by Kaloidis on Tuesday requesting that all information that could potentially challenge or undermine the credibility of S. and his sister, who is also expected to testify, be shared during the pretrial discovery phase.

If convicted next year, Sullivan faces more than 45 years in prison.

Jury selection for February’s trial is expected to begin about a month before.