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2 missing boys found alive- Ben and Shawn!
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gozgals



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:12 am    Post subject: 2 missing boys found alive- Ben and Shawn! Reply with quote

Ben Ownby, the 13-year-old Franklin County boy missing since Monday, has been found alive in Kirkwood -- as well as Shawn Hornbeck.

I'm so happy these two boys were found alive. One can never give up hope. Too many links to post and I'm sure everyone is aware of the news.

Anyone have any opinions on this case. It is very sad, and tragic especially for poor Shawn Hornbeck. A very interesting case.

Anderson Cooper did a good series tonight on the missing boys and children in general.

Open to discuss.

Thank God for their return.

recent link to follow

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:16 am    Post subject: Recent Article Link Reply with quote

The St. Louis Kidnappings:

The Pizza Guy and the Shockrocker

Monday, Jan. 15, 2007
By MICHAEL LINDENBERGER AND CHRISTOPHER MAAG/KIRKWOOD

They were a fairly odd "father-and-son." The grown-up was intensely lonely, had worked at a pizzeria for 25 years where he tended to talk all day, particularly about video games. The "son," his face studded with the occasional piece of punk jewelry, loved the loud, awful music of the shock-rock group Insane Clown Posse, banging on the walls of the apartment they shared, to the consternation of the neighbors. Few suspected that the relation might have been born of a crime.

Until his arrest last Friday on kidnapping charges, Michael Devlin, 41, led a life that seemed limited to a three or four mile radius from the place he grew up, Webster Groves, an upscale suburb of St. Louis. "He was just a big, friendly marshmallow," said one neighbor who knew Devlin in his youth. When he finally moved out of his parents' home, where he lived in an apartment above the garage, he set up residence in an apartment complex in Kirkwood, about three miles away. For 25 years, he worked at Imo's, a pizza parlor even closer by. And to commit the crimes he is accused of, all he had to do was take his Nissan truck two blocks to Interstate 44. The 50 miles or so he would drive to the rural towns of Richwoods and Beaufort were the most significant travel he would do. That's where, back in 2002, he found Shawn Hornbeck, then 11; and Ben Ownby, 13, just last week.

At Imo's, Devlin started out as a delivery boy before slowly ascending to assistant manager, making $20,000 a year. He regularly delivered pizzas to the Kirkwood police station, which sits just a few hundred feet from the pizzeria's back door. He tended to be chatty, seemingly able to talk from the start of the workday till its end. A lot of the time, the subject was video games; but he was a loner. No one ever heard him talk about dates or romances. So everyone assumed he played the games alone. Now, they suspect that, for the last four years at least, he had someone to play along with him.

As TIME reported, police stopped Shawn Hornbeck on at least one occasion but no one figured he was the kid missing from back in 2002. There were flyers about him nearby. For example, one was attached to a bench at a Schnuck's grocery store less than a mile from Devlin's home. It showed a photo of Shawn when he was kidnapped at the age of 11 and an artist's rendition of what he might look like now. "It's just amazing how those kids could be right here living among us and nobody knew," says Carol Michels, a neighbor of Devlin's parents.

It is not that Shawn Hornbeck was quiet. He is a fan of Insane Clown Posse, a group that performs in clownface and is most notable for picking fights with whoever they can bait into paying attention to them, including Eminem. Harry Richard, 33, was a neighbor of Devlin and also a big fan of the horrorcore music of Insane Clown Posse. Richard, who often wears Posse t-shirts, says he would frequently hear the band's music blasted during the day from the apartment below, when Devlin would be at work at the pizza shop. "Over the past six months or so, during the day he would bang all the time — sometimes when Devlin was there and sometimes not. It was just like insane carpentry noises, hitting the walls like with a hammer." Says Richard: "He made it obvious that someone was there, someone was home. I can't help but think now that he was trying to tell me something." But Richard said he didn't ever knock on his neighbors' door, in part because he did not like Devlin. "I thought of him as some brat who was always banging on things in the apartment, making a racket," Richard said, adding that he never had a chance to talk to Shawn alone. "I never saw him without Devo [Mike Devlin]," said Richard. "They were always together."

Shawn was friends with other kids in the neighborhood but never seemed to be with them when they headed off to school. Says neighbor Alma Rodriguez: "He was a skater-kind of kid, who didn't speak to anyone." Rodriguez, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment across the tiny green lawn from Devlin's apartment with her husband and two small children, said she never saw Shawn leave in the morning for school. "I didn't think about it at the time, but now I guess it is odd." Both Rodriguez and Richards recall a more irritable Devlin, not the "marshmallow" that friends describe. Rodriguez remembers some heated, profanity-laced arguments Devlin had with others over parking spots. But Rodriguez said that she never had any suspicion that Devlin was interested in her children or the other children who lived in the apartment complex.

The taking of Ben Ownby, 13, proved to be Devlin's undoing. A detailed description of his Nissan by a friend of Ownby's quickly led police to Kirkwood. On Thursday, Devlin who had just returned from what he said were a couple of days off due to illness had been chatting up a visiting police captain, talking about how to use a bow and arrow to fish. "He was just as calm as can be," says Michael Prosperi, Devlin's employer. By Friday, however, Devlin had been called in for questioning. Just about when that happened, Prosperi said Imo's got a call from Devlin's apartment. Prosperi called back and a boy answered. "Who is this," Prosperi asked. "Who is this?" the boy replied. Prosperi then said he was Devlin's boss and asked for him, repeating, "Who is this? Is there an adult there?' The boy then said, 'This is Shawn Wilcox. My father is a friend of Michael Devlin's.'" Then, said Prosperi, the phone went dead. Soon after, the police announced the miraculous rescue of Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck.


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1578131,00.html
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I saw Ben Ownby and his family on a show this evening. This incredible young man seems to be doing great. I'm happy to report this. I'm glad he is home with his family and did not have to endure years of torture such as Shawn. I have not seen any longer interviews of Shawn and his family accept when they first made a statement. No doubt he has a journey ahead of him filled with much pain.

My prayers are with Shawn that he will receive the long term help he will need and much support for him and his family.

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jane



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PostPosted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I truly believe that anyone who has proven to be a sex criminal or guilty of attempted kidnapping should lose the right to ever own a vehicle or driver's license. How easy would it be for most of them to commit their crimes without a vehicle? They could own and operate vehicles illegally, but it would be more difficult for them and generally make them more likely to be picked up by police for driving-related offences. Why should they have the privilege of owning or driving a vehicle when they have shown how they can and will misuse it? Why not throw a few roadblocks in the way of their crimes?
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:58 am    Post subject: Good Point Jane Reply with quote

I wholeheartedly agree with you Jane. They should never be able to drive a car again. It is a privilege that should be denied such as keeping their distance from schools.

All sex offenders and kidnappers, (if they get to see daylight ever) should be tracked and monitored. Also, I believe the death penalty comes in to play here too in certain cases.

It is a travesty what these people are capable of doing to our children and most are repeat offenders.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:26 am    Post subject: The Reason Why- Michael Reagan- Great Article Reply with quote

The Reason Why
by Michael Reagan
Posted Jan 19, 2007

The media is beside itself trying to understand why Shawn Hornbeck, the youngster kidnapped four-and-a-half years ago, remained a captive despite being on his own much of the time.

All the would-be psychologists on TV and in the press have been speculating wildly, coming up with a myriad of reasons such as a case of the Stockholm syndrome, for example, as to why the youngster did not flee his alleged captivity when he had many opportunities to get away from his alleged kidnapper.

None of these people know what they are talking about. They don’t have the vaguest idea of what goes on in the mind of a young boy who has been sexually abused by an adult, as I assume was the case with Shawn.

I do. Only those who have had that horrific experience can understand what undoubtedly happened to Shawn Hornbeck, and I’m one of them.

When I was eight years old I was sexually abused by a man who ran an after-school day camp. And after that first molestation, I was literally blackmailed into silence by him, making it possible for him to continue to molest me for a year without fear of being exposed.

People who wonder why child victims of sexual abuse remain silent about their experiences have to understand that after that first episode the molester takes ownership of the youngster for a variety of reasons including shame and threats to tell his parents their child is a sexual deviant.

In my case the reason why I didn’t run away although this man was molesting me for a year was simply this: he owned me.

As I wrote in my book, “Twice Adopted,” which I urge parents to buy and read carefully for their children’s sake (you can get it at Amazon.com), “It doesn’t matter if you are molested once or a thousand times; it’s the first incident that does the damage. That first act solidifies the molester’s ownership of you.”

Although I have no way of knowing if Shawn allowed himself to be photographed in a compromising situation as I was, if that was the case with him the molester’s ownership was solidly confirmed.

I allowed my abuser to take nude photos of me much against my will. He used those photos to blackmail me into silence by threatening to show them to my mother. That thought terrorized me. And it was enough to keep me silent.

I thought that if my mother saw those pictures she would know that I was what I then believed myself to be -- evil. Another hold a molester has over his victim, you see, is his understanding that his victims come to believe that the molestation is their fault, and their deep shame and guilt ensures their silence.

A lot of people who are now speculating about the reason Shawn Hornbeck failed to flee are implying that he could have escaped countless times. They do not understand that his captivity did not involve being physically shackled and chained, but instead he was mentally imprisoned by fear of the exposure of his shame. He would have seen himself not as an innocent victim of sexual molestation, but as his molester’s partner in it.

That feeling of partnership grows out of the victim’s belief that even if they consider that the first sexual act was the abuser’s fault, they share the blame for all the subsequent acts.

And if there were photographs, as there were in my case, the threat of his parents ever seeing them and believing their son was the real guilty party is terrifying.

From my own experience, I know that it’s easier to put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger than it is to tell your mother or your father what some man has done to you.

My advice to all the amateur psychologists telling us what happened to Shawn is to just plain shut up. If you haven’t been there, yourself, you don’t know what you are talking about. Leave the kid alone, he’s been through enough grief.


Mr. Reagan is a syndicated radio talk-show host, author of "Twice Adopted" (Broadman & Holman Publishers) and "The City on a Hill,"and the son of former President Ronald Reagan

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19031


Comments: I think this article is the best to date on Shawns situation.

Gozgals

Quote:
My advice to all the amateur psychologists telling us what happened to Shawn is to just plain shut up. If you haven’t been there, yourself, you don’t know what you are talking about. Leave the kid alone, he’s been through enough grief.
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jane



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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very pertinent, Goz. To add to the dilemna, for many children (presumably not in Shawn's case), is that one or both parents actually ARE apt to reinforce the child's feelings of guilt for a variety of reasons...
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jane, I cannot imagine what will happen to Shawn and some of these children with their peers when they return to their community and to school. They obviously will be ridiculed and some bullies will just be harsh. I'm sure many adults will still be asking the same question as to the "why" didn't he (Shawn) leave the abduction situation he was in. I heard on television that the transition will be rather difficult for Shawn especially since he has been out of school for four years and they expect many to not understand his ordeal.

It is a miracle yet there will be much to overcome.

GG
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes - those years can be difficult even when there hasn't been such a disruption (to put it very mildly) so how much more difficult will it be for him after this (and the publicity is another twist).

Hopefully it will make him strong, which adversity can do.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:30 am    Post subject: About Michael Devlin- the Kidnapper Reply with quote

Missouri Kidnap Suspect Had Good Childhood, Neighbors Say
Sunday, January 28, 2007


Michael Devlin
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — By most accounts, Michael Devlin had a childhood a lot of kids might envy.

An early life in sprawling, graceful homes in one of St. Louis' finest suburbs. A ready-made group of friends in his five siblings. And model-citizen parents whose life centered on their two biological daughters and four adopted sons, neighbors and one of Devlin's brothers say.

Curiosity about Devlin's behavior and background have been running high since the stunning Jan. 12 discovery of 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck and 13-year-old Ben Ownby inside Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood.

Ben was found four days after he vanished outside his rural Franklin County home. Shawn disappeared in 2002 near his home in Washington County.

Devlin, 41, has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping Ben, and his arraignment in Shawn's case is set for Wednesday.

Upon Reuniting With Family Adopted as an infant, Devlin knew no other family than the one James and Joyce Devlin carefully nurtured in this middle-American, progressive community.

Webster Groves, home to a private university, a seminary and an all-girls Catholic school, was in the national spotlight a year after Michael Devlin's birth in 1965 in an award-winning documentary narrated by Charles Kuralt that criticized it as status-oriented and materialistic.

But Joyce and James Devlin, a stay-at-home mom and an insurance executive, used their ample resources to provide a happy life for their kids. The couple even became foster parents and adopted 5-year-old Brian, who recalled family vacations at the Devlins' Lake Michigan cottage as the happiest times of his life.

Joyce Devlin ran a daycare in the home, then as the kids left the nest, she resumed her own studies in childhood development and education and became a teacher at a pricey private school. Former colleagues at The College School said Joyce Devlin was passionate about children.

The Webster-Kirkwood Times would later honor the Devlins for their 50 years of marriage and involvement with children.

"They were the nicest people you'd ever want to meet," former neighbor Jack Seibert said.

Which makes the discovery of the two boys in Michael Devlin's apartment all the more mystifying.

"It's shocking," said former neighbor Antonietta Corno. "It's something I don't know how you'd ever understand. You'd have to be a really good shrink to know what caused this."

On the advice of attorneys, Michael Devlin refused an interview with The Associated Press this week, as did his parents and family members, except for Brian Devlin.

Brian Devlin, who lives an hour outside of St. Louis and is estranged from his adoptive family, said he couldn't have asked for better parents.

"There was a lot of love in the house," he said. "They did everything in the world for me.

"They are really good people. I don't want anyone to think badly of them."

Brian Devlin said he has no memory of his brother Michael behaving badly at home. Brian said he, not Michael, was the problem child, hanging out with the wrong crowd in his early teens, drinking and using drugs and putting their parents "through a whole lot of grief, though nothing near what they're going through now."

Brian Devlin left home at 17. A series of arrests for drunken driving eventually led to 18 months in a Missouri prison, but a fall in 2001 that nearly killed him forced changes in his life, and he said he has been sober since.

Brian Devlin has had only infrequent contact with the family since leaving home. He last saw his brother Michael 20 years ago at the Imo's pizzeria where Michael worked his way up to manager. He said Michael didn't acknowledge him that day, but maybe, he reasoned, because Brian had been drinking.

He described his younger brother, Michael, as a normal kid, "a quiet dude," who was somewhat big for his age, who had no friends aside from his siblings. Michael attended both Catholic and public schools, and graduated from Webster High.

Brian Devlin said he can't believe, and doesn't want to believe, that the younger brother he once played Army men and fixed bikes with kidnapped Shawn and Ben and used a gun to kidnap Shawn, as alleged by the Washington County prosecutor.

"We never used guns, there were no guns in the house," Brian Devlin said.

"We were a very Catholic, very Christian family. They were great people, well respected. Everything came from their heart, which is why they adopted kids.

"Whatever Michael did, he did it outside of that house. That was a really good household."

Authorities found the boys in Devlin's Kirkwood apartment, just miles from his childhood home.

"I'm trying to come up with some reason why," Brian Devlin said. "I'm trying to give Michael the benefit of the doubt."

Brian Devlin said he feels "really sorry" for the Devlin family, and is certain "it's tearing everybody up."

None of the Devlins has visited Michael Devlin, according to visitor records at the Franklin County jail. Even Brian Devlin said he has nothing to say to his brother.

Michael Devlin told The New York Post that he didn't know how he would explain himself to his parents.

"It's much easier talking to a stranger about these things than your own parents," he said.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247958,00.html?sPage=fnc.national/crime

Comments: At least these parents are not making excuses for their son, or lying for him. It has been noted that presently, none of Devlin's family members have visited him.

Gozgals
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jane



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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am sorry for Michael and Brian's parents, but I have to wonder.

How could their adult son have been shacked up with a child for years and they didn't know anything about it? I'm not saying that what Michael did is their fault, but it just doesn't seem like a normal family.

It either means that they fell completely out of touch with Michael and were unaware of his living arrangements or failed to acknowledge signs that their son was a pedophile, neither of which seems OK.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:52 am    Post subject: comments Reply with quote

Jane:

Quote:
It either means that they fell completely out of touch with Michael and were unaware of his living arrangements or failed to acknowledge signs that their son was a pedophile, neither of which seems OK.


You make some good points Jane but Devlin is a grown man and I think I read he only saw his parents on holidays and on occasional weekends. I think they are in their 70's or 80's too so they probably were unaware of what type of lifestyle their son was leading. Many families do not interact on a regular basis, as sad as that might be.

One question I do have was if MD had his toe amputated it has been stated (?) he stayed with his parents in their garage apt, I'm wondering where Shawn was at the time? I hope it was not with another sex offender or he scared him so much he was afraid to leave.

I feel very sorry for Devlin's parents having to endure a son such as Michael and deal with this in their old age.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:55 pm    Post subject: Suspect Devlin With Kidnapping, Sexual Assault Reply with quote

Missouri Prosecutor Charges Suspect Devlin With Kidnapping, Sexual Assault
Monday, February 05, 2007

Accused kidnapper Michael Devlin

CLAYTON, Mo. — A Missouri man accused of kidnapping two boys and holding one for more than four years was charged Monday with forcible sodomy.

The charges were the first time authorities have openly accused Michael Devlin of molesting the children.

Devlin was charged with 71 counts, two for kidnapping and the others for forcible sodomy, all felonies and each punishable by up to life in prison.

St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch said the charges related to two abductions, although he said he would not disclose the victims' names, in keeping with department policy when sexual abuse is alleged.

McCulloch said 18 of the counts related to an abduction last month, an apparent reference to the Jan. 8 disappearance of 13-year-old Ben Ownby. The remaining counts were related to an abduction in 2002, an apparent reference to Shawn Hornbeck, now 15.

"Devlin acknowledged committing these acts," McCulloch said.

In a written statement, defense attorneys Ethan Corlija and Michael Kielty said they have explained the charges to Devlin and that he understands they are "very serious."

"We have also told Mr. Devlin that we have received no evidence from any of the prosecutors about any of the charges," the statement said.

"Common sense and the Constitution would suggest that everyone should wait to hear any evidence before reaching any final judgment.

While it is The Associated Press' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual abuse in most cases, Shawn's case has been widely publicized and his name is well-known. Also, the family has gone public, conducting several national interviews.

"The family is relieved that the speculation and the wondering with respect to what happened over four years is now over," Scott Sherman, a lawyer representing Shawn and his family, said in a telephone interview.

He said Shawn is "absolutely" willing to testify if the case goes to trial.

"I think he's committed to justice, as painful as it might be."

Devlin, a 41-year-old pizzeria manager, already faces kidnapping charges in Washington and Franklin counties for the abductions of Shawn and Ben.

Washington County authorities have said Devlin used a gun to threaten Shawn when he was abducted in 2002.

Devlin has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.

Shawn was 11 when he was taken in 2002 from near his home in Richwoods in rural Washington County. Ben was abducted in Beaufort on Jan. 8 in Franklin County, and a white pickup seen speeding away led police to Devlin.

Both boys were found inside Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis County suburb of Kirkwood on Jan. 12.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250341,00.html?sPage=fnc.national/crime
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:31 pm    Post subject: Belongings moved from Devlin's Kirkwood apartment Reply with quote

Belongings moved from Devlin's Kirkwood apartment
By Christopher Leonard
ASSOCIATED PRESS
02/12/2007

Ethan Corlija, attorney for Michael Devlin, left, watches as friends of his client pack up the contents of Devlin's apartment Monday.
(Jeff Roberson/AP)

KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) -- Accused kidnapper Michael Devlin's attorney and brother removed all the personal belongings from his apartment today, exactly one month after police raided the apartment and found two missing boys.

Devlin's landlord said FBI agents had already removed belongings they considered evidence in the criminal case against Devlin, who is charged with kidnapping and 69 counts of sexual abuse.

Three men hired by Devlin's attorneys spent the afternoon evacuating what remained in the tiny one-room apartment. They carried load after load of items 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 and drawers full 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 for toy soldiers. Magic the Gathering playing cards littered the floor. Advertisement

Devlin's belongings seemed more modest. There were crutches the 300-pound-pizzaria 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.

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.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/FE351D25881F858F86257280007B60CA?OpenDocument


Comments: I guess we can see Devlin's family must have some involvement with him since his brother is helping to move his stuff. By this evidence removed, LE must be keeping what they have on Devlin under wraps such as what was on the computer and any DNA that may have been on the beds, etc.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:14 pm    Post subject: Family Atty. reacts to Devlin Charges-Greta Transcript-F.up Reply with quote

Hornbeck Family Attorney Reacts to Sex Assault Charges Against Michael Devlin
Tuesday, February 06, 2007


This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," February 5, 2007, that has been edited for clarity.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Accused Missouri kidnapper, Michael Devlin, slapped tonight with new charges — 71 new charges to be precise and at least 52 are related to Shawn Hornbeck. So, what does Shawn Hornbeck's family think about today's news and how is Shawn doing? Joining us from Saint Louis is Hornbeck family attorney, Scott Sherman. Good evening, Scott, and how is Shawn doing?

SCOTT SHERMAN, HORNBECK FAMILY ATTORNEY: Hi, Greta. Doing as well as can be expected. I think today was a very good day in a series of good days and, on behalf of the family, there was relief, really. A lot of these charges, the speculation was out there — when were they going to come? How many? What were the nature of the charges going to be? And until the prosecutors get everything in order, you really don’t know. And then today we found out that something was brewing. We found out, like everyone else did, at the press conference by Mr. McCulloch, and quite frankly, they're ready for the legal process to begin. And it's just another phase for them in the road to Shawn's recovery. And today was a good day for us.


VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of the charges for Shawn. I mean, I guess the prosecutors had to — or the police have had to work with him. I mean that — I mean, imagine that's been extraordinarily difficult because they've got to sort of sort through every incident and determine whether they can meet the elements. I'm not so sure that was particularly easy for him or for anyone.

SHERMAN: I don't think so. I think you're right. However, every victim of crime, in particular victims of sexual assault and children, in particular, need to know that they have a big support system out there. They are the victim services and the families, the prosecution teams and they need to know that they can't be too afraid to serve justice. And Shawn Hornbeck is an extremely, very strong young man, very brave and he knows that there's a lot at stake here. Not just in the criminal justice system, but to send the message to other people out there, to other kids that you can stand up and you can be strong and to other would-be pedophiles and defendants out there that, look, you're not just going to be able to intimidate these children, they're going to stand up and they're going to fight for their rights. And we know this defendant has rights, we're not going to say anything that's going to hurt the process, but today's a great day. Shawn's a great kid and we're going to work as hard as we can for justice for he and for Ben.

VAN SUSTEREN: You know, it seems to me that you know, if the — probably the most realistic thing that's going to happen is if indeed it's true that Michael Devlin does confess to these and if indeed that it's true that the confession is voluntary, that it wasn't beaten out of him, for example, that this will likely be worked out into a plea agreement. Unless the prosecution gives it such a terrible package that it forces his hand to go to trial, then that's when your client would have to testify. But, best case scenario, is a plea because our client will not have to testify publicly.

SHERMAN: As lawyers, we always want to protect our clients as much as we can. We want to put the blanket over them and really do everything we can to keep them out of the pressure cooker of trials. But, we know that in a case like this maybe a defendant might not have anything to lose. So, we look at it like this, Shawn is preparing for the worst. He's getting himself ready. His family's there, everybody's behind him and if that day comes and it is trial, then it won't be a shock. But obviously, everybody on the family and our side wants as little amount of stress on Shawn as possible. But guess what, we look at it as a challenge and maybe if there is a trial and that's the defendant's right to do it, we're going to be there, Shawn's going to be there and everybody's going to be proud of him because he's going to be a stand-up kid and he's going to do the right thing.

VAN SUSTEREN: In light of the fact that he's been gone for four years, he's missed school for four years, is he getting back, sort of, whatever normal is? I mean, is the school working with him and sort of trying to figure work out a way to sort of get him back on schedule with his classmates?

SHERMAN: School's sort of — part of the umbrella of what we call the therapy process and the therapy team. They're being — that portion of his rehabilitation is being directed. So, school is definitely part of that, but it might not be on any kind of timetable that any of us would hope, but he's being assessed, and whatever his needs, including education, is definitely being addressed by great people and I have big hope for him on that issue, too.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, this is one very strange case and a very terrible crime, as well. Glad to hear that, at least, what I think I'm hearing is that your client is doing as well as can be expected if not better. And we'll continue to follow it. Thank you, Scott.

SHERMAN: Greta, always, thank you.

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