Posted on 01/15/2007 8:27:11 AM PST by Halls
Kidnap victim Shawn Hornbeck was "brainwashed" into staying with his abductor after being told his parents no longer wanted him.
His kidnapper also threatened to shoot the 15-year-old after snatching him off the street.
Friends of the teenager have revealed Michael Devlin, 41, had at least three guns in the apartment where Shawn was held captive.
Tony Douglas, 15, who was Shawn's best friend, said: "We both knew there were guns in the house. Michael told us that he had the guns and were for his protection."
Shawn's stepfather Craig Akers, 45, has revealed his son's life was threatened by Devlin while he lived with him in a ground floor flat in Kirkwood, a suburb of St Louis, Missouri.
(Excerpt) Read more at thisislondon.co.uk ...
I am with you on that. I feel really bad for your boyfriend's brother. That is a shame. Such a tragedy in two cases (losing mother and molested). I think Shaun will need extensive therapy and help. I don't know if that will be enough though. Prayers will help but again it will have to be extensive. The little boy if he was molested even one time could be in the same situation. That guy needs to be executed IMHO. He is sick and probably distroyed two young boys in the process.
The devil made bail already?
What's got me is Devlin's family. Ok, fine, so they aren't close as some families but come on you can't tell me they were clueless. The pizza place owner said he'd hang out with his brother Jamie and he papered his mom's kitchen or something. Come on, it's hard to keep a secret when everyone is living in the same town. So, your sibling shows up with this kid and no one in the family questions him? And it's been reported that Shawn would call and come into the pizza place but the owner who'd known Devlin for 20+ years didn't wonder. Fine, Devlin isn't the social magnet but I'm sure he has some long time friends. I can understand that neighbors come and go and can't be bothered with who's living next door, and pizza employees have changed during the years, but surely someone during those 4 1/2 years had to have had questions. Couriouser and couriouser.
Good memory. I saw that years ago. Who knows what tricks he used on Shawn.
Examples of teenagers and adults who can be convinced to do something that a person in their "right" mind would never do.
People are complaining that this child could not escape his situation and no matter how bad the living arrangements, he should have tried to escape.
And yet, adults will strap bombs onto their body and go to their death.
Adults join religious cults all of the time. Heaven's Gate cult comes to mind.
So, it is not so far fetched to understand why a child cannot escape his/her situation.
I really do wonder about Devlin's family. Somebody had to know something.
No doubt the same people who insisted that Elizabeth Smart went and stayed willingly with her sicko abductor.
I will never say what I could or would do if I were in a situation involving torture, sleep deprivation, and some of the tools used by the military or even cults. What I do know is I am firmly grounded in my faith and have been for years and that I am mentally a strong person and I am very, very strong-willed (aren't all Irish people? - he he - Irish people will get it).
Please get in the real world! Your life or the life of your children may depend upon it.
It's true that they say the abused will become abusers, but I hope with counseling, this one will beat the odds. We already saw one miracle--he was still alive--may God grand another.
"I fear the exact same thing will happen to Hornbeck."
I don't think you have to worry about that. Richwoods is a very tightknit community that has been praying for Shawn's recovery and has been very supportive of the Akers family. The whole area is overjoyed that he was found.
See http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/369FFAA83566A502862572630016ADBE?OpenDocument
That was my thinking from day one.
he better have not made bail! This man cannot ever get our of prison!
Her answer......karate lessons from age seven.
The movie came out in 1989
but we have 2 other boys missing that were taken the same way as Shawn was (out riding their bikes) and both are from rural areas just outside St. Louis - within an hours drive. They have not been found yet and they are looking to see if Devlin may be connected to those 2 cases.
Shawn was grabbed in 2002 - the other 2 were grabbed after the movie came out but before 2002. One of them would be 26 now and I believe both were under 12 when they were grabbed.
We also have 1 female that was grabbed in 1989 (Gina Dawn Brooks) just south of were Shawn and Ben were grabbed.
Court is closed today, due to holiday. Can you show where it says he is out on bail?
You said it! Sick people is right. They are disgusting, no, they are beyond disgusting!
I think you need to read up on psychological profiles of kidnap victims (child and adult). In particular, pay attention to something called the "Stockholm Syndrome"--which is a very real syndrome. Children (and this boy was 11, NOT a teenager when he was taken) are particularly malleable.
he isn't out, the news media would have made a huge stink out of it and there is nothing. He still hasn't bee arraigned yet and likely won't be till tomorrow or Wed.
Excellent idea Grasshopper.
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