Posted on 02/13/2007 8:41:55 AM PST by keats5
KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) - Accused kidnapper Michael Devlin's personal belongings were removed from his apartment Monday, with workers carting out boxes of toys, video games and skateboarding equipment exactly one month after police raided the home and found two missing boys.
Devlin's brother and his attorney orchestrated the housecleaning, which three hired men carried out hurriedly in the drizzling rain.
Devlin's landlord said FBI agents already had removed all the belongings they considered evidence in the criminal case against Devlin, who is charged with kidnapping and 69 counts of sexual abuse.
What remained behind were the personal things - load after load of possessions that hinted at the secret life prosecutors say Devlin lived for more than four years with Shawn Hornbeck after allegedly kidnapping the boy in 2002.
There were crates of electronic equipment and drawers of toys. A beaten up skateboard. Two computer monitors. Several video game consoles including the high-end Xbox 360. There were board games and plastic play sets. Magic: the Gathering playing cards littered the floor.
Devlin's belongings seemed more modest. There were crutches the 300-pound pizzeria manager presumably used after having his toe amputated due to complications from diabetes. Much of the wood furniture was old and covered in dust.
There was the gear of an avid outdoorsman - an empty case for a rifle, a waterproof rubber bag used to carry equipment on canoeing trips. The walls were covered with paintings and photos of nature scenes.
The one-room apartment is nestled in a small brick complex of working class units. The windows rattle as trains pass nearby. Neighbors often saw Shawn, but assumed he was Devlin's son.
The apartment's interior was fetid and dirty Monday, with the carpet covered in stains from cats that lived there until Devlin was arrested. Sauce packets from KFC littered the floor and dried food coated the stovetop. The bedroom floor was littered with toy soldiers.
Devlin's belongings were loaded into a mid-sized moving truck. Devlin's attorney, Ethan Corlija, said some will be stored, some discarded. Devlin's brother, Patrick, helped pack the apartment but declined to be interviewed.
Devlin remains in Franklin County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. Prosecutors allege he kidnapped 13-year-old Ben Ownby in that county Jan. 8. Police found Ownby and Hornbeck in the apartment four days later.
While it is The Associated Press' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual abuse in most cases, the boys' cases have been widely publicized and their names were well-known before charges were filed. Also, relatives of both boys have conducted several national interviews.
PING
This creep had a brother?
Did he never see the boy living there for years ?
Hope he feels some guilt.
I haven't seen my brother in 10 years. He lives 350 miles away. Have only spoken once by phone since 96..........
Watched Greta checking out the storage area in the basement of the apartment complex and wondered if the police ever got into that area. If there was a bike belonging to any other kidnapped child????????
I believe all of his brothers were adopted (as Devlin was). It appears that they became a rather fragmented family after leaving their parent's home from the tidbits we're reading here. One of the brothers was completely estranged from the family and hadn't seen them in years. Don't know if that was this brother mentioned here or not.
I remember seeing the news footage of the police bringing stuff from the apartment. They did indeed look at a storage area, but I have no idea if there was more than one.
I continue to pray for Shawn and Ben.
My brothers live over 1000 miles away. Haven't seen either of them for 5-6 years.
"Magic: the Gathering playing cards littered the floor."
I'm getting the impression that this guy was something of an aged out Goth, especially moonlighting at a funeral service. Work at a pizza joint, meet a lot of kids.
No, different brother. That was Brian, this is Patrick. There's also Jamie.
I wonder what else Devlin might have transported in that waterproof bag, to be buried in a remote, shallow grave?
I am utterly convinced that Devlin was going to replace Hornbeck with Ownby, and that Shawn's days were numbered. I'm also convinced that this isn't the first time Devlin did this.
Yes, that waterproof rubber bag also gave me the shivers, but apparently it wasn't conisdered relevant as evidence. Perhaps it was small.
It does make you wonder what the investigators removed.
PING
Isn't there a hard drive on that machine...wouldn't they want to know what could be on that hard drive?
"The bedroom floor was littered with toy soldiers."
That really gets to me. I remember when my boys were little and played with them. I suppose Ben played with them.
My brothers and sister lived in FL. It was nine years one time before I saw my sister and about that much before I saw one of my brothers. Families aren't close to one another geographically like we used to be.
Thanks for the ping. I'm out of town. In Italy... Will be able to catch up when I get home.
Thanks for the ping. Did you all hear that BOR is coming to St. Louis in March? I almost feel like organizing a freep.
Was Geraldo there to open it live on the air?
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