Posted on 02/05/2007 4:31:34 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
For First Time, Officials Openly Accuse Michael Devlin Of Molesting Children
(CBS News) CLAYTON, Mo. A Missouri man accused of kidnapping two boys and holding one for more than four years was charged Monday with molesting them — nearly 70 times in all.
The charges were the first time authorities have openly accused Michael Devlin of molesting the children.
Devlin, a 41-year-old pizzeria manager who had previously been charged with two counts of kidnapping, was charged with 69 counts of forcible sodomy, all felonies and each punishable by up to life in prison.
St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCullough said 18 of the counts related to an abduction last month, and the remaining counts were related to an abduction several years ago, apparent references to the Jan. 8 disappearance of 13-year-old Ben Ownby and the 2002 kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck, now 15.
For the four days he was held, Ben was molested four times a day, prosecutors said.
Both boys were found inside Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood on Jan. 12.
McCullough said the evidence includes interviews with all of the people involved. "Devlin acknowledged committing these acts," McCullough said.
Devlin has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping charges.
Shawn was 11 when he vanished while riding his bike near his home in Richwoods. Ben disappeared after he got off the school bus in Beaufort on Jan. 8. A white pickup seen speeding away led police to Devlin, authorities said.
Authorities have said Devlin used a gun to threaten Shawn when he was abducted in 2002.
While it is CBS News' and The Associated Press' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual abuse in most cases, the story of Shawn and Ben has been widely publicized and their names are now well-known. Also, their families have gone public, conducting several media interviews.
Last week it was learned that Hornbeck was ordered to guard fellow captive Ownby and hide him from police after they were repeatedly left alone in their captor's apartment, an official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Thursday.
Hornbeck's cooperation with Devlin was the result of what Hornbeck experienced during his first 30 days of captivity after Devlin allegedly kidnapped the boy in 2002, said the official who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
Hornbeck's isolation and abuse during that first month were so intense that the then-11-year-old's identity was torn apart, the official said. Over time, Hornbeck began to see Devlin as his protector and surrogate parent — a pattern common to many abuse victims, the official said.
"He's a victim. He was kidnapped. He was taken from his parents. He was forced to live with this guy. He was forced to accommodate," the official said.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Delvin has expanded, police say, with authorities searching one of his previous homes and investigators in Illinois looking into a possible connection to the 2003 murder of a 7-year-old boy.
St. Louis television station KTVI showed photos it obtained, apparently of Hornbeck, one of two missing boys found Jan. 12 in Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood. One of the photos shows a boy pointing a handgun at the camera.
I hope you're right. It would be great if the boys never had to testify. The excerpt below is from the article cited in my post # 40.
"Scott Sherman, a lawyer representing Shawn and his family, said Shawn is willing to testify if the case goes to trial.
"I think he's committed to justice, as painful as it might be," Sherman said."
I read that Devlin has pled guilty to the sodomy charges. It's very likely the boys will not have to testify.
Indeed. Just think, though, the ACLU defends scum like this.
No flame from me, but if you really think about it, even sans Oprah, the news would've burned up the wires. It's the modern age we live in; very hard to keep these things under wraps because the disappearances themselves were so widely publicized.
no that would be too quick and relatively painless. Send him to prison-three square a day and all the sex he wants.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.