VIDEO: Devlin pleads guilty El estadounidense Michael Devlin fue condenado hoy a cadena perpetua por el secuestro de uno de los dos niños a los que mantuvo secuestrados durante cuatro años en una casa de Misuri, informaron fuentes judiciales.
Washington EEUU 08 OCT 2007 EFE
En enero Devlin fue acusado formalmente de acosar sexualmente y sodomizar en más de 70 ocasiones a los niños Shawn Hornbeck, de 15 años, a quien secuestró durante cuatro años, y Ben Ownby, de 13 años, desaparecido durante cinco días.
Ambos niños fueron encontrados el pasado 12 de enero en la residencia de Devlin, situada en la localidad de Kirkwood, en las cercanías de Saint Louis (Misuri).
Devlin, ex gerente de una pizzería, fue acusado de secuestro en primer grado y hoy se declaró culpable de este delito contra Hornbeck.
Michael Kielty, uno de sus abogados, indicó hoy que su cliente se había declarado hoy culpable para ahorrarle a su propia familia y a la de Shawn Hornbeck, 'el sufrimiento de un juicio'.
El acusado fue condenado hoy en la primera vista que se sigue sobre el caso, pero se celebrarán más en distintas jurisdicciones del estado en las que Devlin se debe enfrentar a más de 80 cargos relacionados con el secuestro de los dos jóvenes.
Ben Ownby, de 13 años, había desaparecido el 8 de enero tras descender del autobús escolar que le había llevado hasta su domicilio.
Un amigo que se había bajado con él dijo a las autoridades haber visto una camioneta blanca alejarse rápidamente del lugar por donde caminaba Ownby.
Tras determinar la identidad del dueño del vehículo, agentes de la policía acudieron al apartamento de Devlin, donde encontraron al muchacho.
En el allanamiento, las autoridades quedaron sorprendidas al encontrarse con que en el lugar había otro niño, que fue identificado como Shawn Hornbeck, quien había desaparecido en octubre del 2002 tras salir de su casa a pasear en bicicleta.
El fiscal del condado de Saint Louis, Robert McCullough, indicó en febrero que durante los cuatro días que estuvo secuestrado, Ownby fue sometido a abusos sexuales hasta cuatro veces al día.
Terra Actualidad - EFE - EL UNIVERSAL
8 de octubre de 2007 14:34
Pedófilo condenado a cadena perpetua en EEUU
América del Norte
AFP
Un pedófilo que mantuvo secuestrado a un niño por cinco años en Estados Unidos fue condenado a cadena perpetua por haber plagiado a un segundo niño, cuya desaparición determinó el hallazgo de ambos por la policía.
Michael Devlin, 41 años, se declaró culpable de secuestrar y llevar adelante una acción criminal armada en la corte del Condado de Franklin, que lo acusó de haber secuestrado a Ben Ownby, de 13 años, en enero de 2007.
Se espera que se declare culpable de violación y de secuestro en relación a los dos casos en tres jurisdicciones para el próximo jueves.
"Las hechos son decididamente contundentes", indicó el abogado de Devlin, Michael Kielty. "Nada bueno podía surgir de un juicio".
Delvin, encargado de un local de venta de pizza, secuestró en 2002 a Shawn Hornbeck, de 11 años, cuando andaba en bicicleta en la zona rural de Missouri.
Lo mantuvo cautivo y abusó sexualmente de él hasta convencerlo de que mataría a toda su familia si trataba de escapar.
Hornbeck, que hoy tiene 16 años, podía eventualmente abandonar su apartamento, quedarse en casa de amigos y hasta tener celular propio, pero nunca se contactó con la policía.
Los fiscales negaron que Hornbeck haya estado involucrado en el secuestro del Ownby en el mes de enero.
"Shawn Hornbeck no estaba involucrado en nada de ésto", indicó el fiscal del condado de Franklin Robert Parks antes de leer la sentencia.
"No voy a entrar en detalles sobre Shawn. Este niño tenía un miedo tan terrible que no les puedo decir. Ustedes no se pueden imaginar el horror que ha vivido Shawn Hornbeck en los últimos cuatro años".
La madre de Ownby -el niño plagiado en enero- afirmó a los periodistas que estaba conforme de ver cómo el caso llegaba a su fin.
"Hemos estado esperando este momento", indicó Doris Ownby. "Haber llegado hasta aquí es sólo un alivio". AFP
Devlin pleads guilty in Franklin County
By Stephen Deere and Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/10/2007
>> Michael Devlin is escorted by Franklin County sheriff's deputies from the Franklin County Courthouse.
(Robert Cohen/P-D)
UNION — The answers, just a series of simple "Yes" responses, came in a flat, raspy voice.
Michael J. Devlin listened as the details of his crimes were recited methodically in a Franklin County courtroom:
He spent three months searching in rural areas for a boy he could abduct. He homed in on 13-year-old William "Ben" Ownby, who walked to his home alone from his bus stop. He used a Ruger 9 mm pistol to force the boy into his truck.
And when the frightened boy pleaded, "Why?" the abductor's only response was, "Just Advertisement because." Advertisement
"Is that a fair recitation of what occurred on Jan. 8?" Circuit Judge Stanley Williams asked Devlin on Monday.
"Yes, sir," he answered.
He offered the same short responses — "Yes, sir," "No, sir," "Yes, I did" — as Williams worked through a list of procedural questions.
Williams sentenced Devlin to life in prison for the kidnapping charge and to 20 years in prison for the armed criminal action charge.
And so began Devlin's tour of four courtrooms in the area to answer a host of charges in the abduction and sexual assault of Ben and an earlier victim, Shawn Hornbeck. The two were found in Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood on Jan. 12.
After Monday's court proceedings in Union, Devlin's lawyers offered more answers: Their client wanted the world to know that he is confessing to the crimes to spare his family and
QUESTIONS REMAIN
But it was clear that, even after Devlin confesses to more charges in the next day or two, some answers won't come immediately, if ever.
Reporters asked his lawyers why Devlin kidnapped the boys. Did something happen to him as a child?
"We can't go into that," said lawyer Michael Kielty.
The prosecutor, Robert Parks, stopped short of answering speculation that has swirled since the boys were discovered. Was Shawn in the truck at the time Ben was abducted?
"I'm not going to get into that," Parks said. "This kid was in such pain, such fear. … You cannot even imagine the horror that must have been going through Shawn Hornbeck during those four years."
The goal of keeping that horror private has driven authorities in the case. They brought an avalanche of charges, 86 in all, against Devlin in hopes of forcing a plea deal.
This week will provide some partial revelations necessary to accomplish two things: making certain Devlin will spend the rest of his life in prison, and sparing the teenage boys from having to testify at a trial.
"There is a lot more to this case than has come out — and will probably never come out — for the benefit of the boys," Parks said.
Parks called Devlin "evil" and added, "You'll never see anybody worse than this."
As for the question of Devlin's involvement in other cases, a group of law enforcement officials says it's not done searching for an answer. A task force was formed to investigate whether Devlin had a connection to several other child abductions in the region.
"The investigation is still continuing," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Tom Blades said Monday. "They're still working on a timeline for him."
YELLOW MITTENS
Devlin was being held in the Franklin County jail overnight, before he is transported today and possibly Wednesday to other courtrooms in the area.
On Monday, Devlin pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and armed criminal action in Franklin County for the abduction of Ben. He is expected to follow suit in Washington County, where Shawn was abducted in 2002 at age 11, and in St. Louis County (where Shawn was held for more than four years and Ben for four days) and federal court.
Parks said Devlin would have to serve at least 30 years in a state penitentiary for the offenses in Franklin County but noted that the other jurisdictions have yet to add their own sentences.
If Devlin outlives his state sentences, Parks said, he would then be taken to a federal prison.
When Devlin first appeared in court Monday, he was wearing an orange jumpsuit. His hands were in yellow mittens to thwart any attempt to unlock handcuffs.
Devlin, the formerly portly Imo's pizza manager, appeared much thinner. He was cleanshaven, had a short-cropped haircut and wore wire-rimmed glasses. He stood a few feet from Ben's parents, Doris and Don Ownby, but never looked their way during the 17-minute proceeding.
Parks said in court that before abducting Ben, Devlin had been searching rural areas for another victim "because the schools get out later and so he would have time to go around and follow the bus routes until he saw a boy he liked."
When Ben got off the bus on Jan. 8, Devlin drove his white pickup down the lane toward the Ownby house.
"He asked Ben if he knew where some people lived," Parks said. "Ben looked very nervous, and he thought Ben was going to run in the opposite direction. … He got out of the truck and showed Ben the gun. Ben didn't move, and Devlin moved to put him in the truck."
Before Devlin could drive off, one of Ben's neighbors, Mitchell Hults, spotted the white pickup. Mitchell's detailed description of the truck eventually led to Devlin's arrest.
Mitchell, now 16 and a high school sophomore, said Monday he is happy that the Devlin case is nearly over.
"I think it's pretty great he's behind bars," Mitchell said.
Doris and Don Ownby said Ben knew about Monday's hearing, but they would not comment on their son's feelings about it.
Both said they had expected a plea agreement for a while.
"We have been waiting for this moment," Doris Ownby said. "Now for it to be here, it's just a relief."
Kielty, one of Devlin's lawyers, said it had become clear to his client that "the facts are absolutely overwhelming" and there was no point to holding a trial.
"He does have remorse," Kielty said. "He knows what he has done is wrong."
Jessica Bock and Robert Patrick of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. SLD
HISTORIAL
Encuentran en Missouri a dos niños secuestrados, uno de ellos hace cuatro años... +
Misterio e incógnitas tras la liberación de Shawn Hornbeck, el muchacho secuestrado durante 4 años
Entrevista a Shawn Hornbeck en el programa de Oprah Winfrey
17 de julio de 2007 Shawn Hornbeck celebra su 16 cumpleaños en familia, tras cuatro años de secuestro
Welcome home Shawn and Ben !!
Archives myFox: Shawn Hornbeck, Ben Ownby Stories and Videos
)
Washington EEUU 08 OCT 2007 EFE
En enero Devlin fue acusado formalmente de acosar sexualmente y sodomizar en más de 70 ocasiones a los niños Shawn Hornbeck, de 15 años, a quien secuestró durante cuatro años, y Ben Ownby, de 13 años, desaparecido durante cinco días.
Ambos niños fueron encontrados el pasado 12 de enero en la residencia de Devlin, situada en la localidad de Kirkwood, en las cercanías de Saint Louis (Misuri).
Devlin, ex gerente de una pizzería, fue acusado de secuestro en primer grado y hoy se declaró culpable de este delito contra Hornbeck.
Michael Kielty, uno de sus abogados, indicó hoy que su cliente se había declarado hoy culpable para ahorrarle a su propia familia y a la de Shawn Hornbeck, 'el sufrimiento de un juicio'.
El acusado fue condenado hoy en la primera vista que se sigue sobre el caso, pero se celebrarán más en distintas jurisdicciones del estado en las que Devlin se debe enfrentar a más de 80 cargos relacionados con el secuestro de los dos jóvenes.
Ben Ownby, de 13 años, había desaparecido el 8 de enero tras descender del autobús escolar que le había llevado hasta su domicilio.
Un amigo que se había bajado con él dijo a las autoridades haber visto una camioneta blanca alejarse rápidamente del lugar por donde caminaba Ownby.
Tras determinar la identidad del dueño del vehículo, agentes de la policía acudieron al apartamento de Devlin, donde encontraron al muchacho.
En el allanamiento, las autoridades quedaron sorprendidas al encontrarse con que en el lugar había otro niño, que fue identificado como Shawn Hornbeck, quien había desaparecido en octubre del 2002 tras salir de su casa a pasear en bicicleta.
El fiscal del condado de Saint Louis, Robert McCullough, indicó en febrero que durante los cuatro días que estuvo secuestrado, Ownby fue sometido a abusos sexuales hasta cuatro veces al día.
Terra Actualidad - EFE - EL UNIVERSAL
8 de octubre de 2007 14:34
Pedófilo condenado a cadena perpetua en EEUU
América del Norte
AFP
Un pedófilo que mantuvo secuestrado a un niño por cinco años en Estados Unidos fue condenado a cadena perpetua por haber plagiado a un segundo niño, cuya desaparición determinó el hallazgo de ambos por la policía.
Michael Devlin, 41 años, se declaró culpable de secuestrar y llevar adelante una acción criminal armada en la corte del Condado de Franklin, que lo acusó de haber secuestrado a Ben Ownby, de 13 años, en enero de 2007.
Se espera que se declare culpable de violación y de secuestro en relación a los dos casos en tres jurisdicciones para el próximo jueves.
"Las hechos son decididamente contundentes", indicó el abogado de Devlin, Michael Kielty. "Nada bueno podía surgir de un juicio".
Delvin, encargado de un local de venta de pizza, secuestró en 2002 a Shawn Hornbeck, de 11 años, cuando andaba en bicicleta en la zona rural de Missouri.
Lo mantuvo cautivo y abusó sexualmente de él hasta convencerlo de que mataría a toda su familia si trataba de escapar.
Hornbeck, que hoy tiene 16 años, podía eventualmente abandonar su apartamento, quedarse en casa de amigos y hasta tener celular propio, pero nunca se contactó con la policía.
Los fiscales negaron que Hornbeck haya estado involucrado en el secuestro del Ownby en el mes de enero.
"Shawn Hornbeck no estaba involucrado en nada de ésto", indicó el fiscal del condado de Franklin Robert Parks antes de leer la sentencia.
"No voy a entrar en detalles sobre Shawn. Este niño tenía un miedo tan terrible que no les puedo decir. Ustedes no se pueden imaginar el horror que ha vivido Shawn Hornbeck en los últimos cuatro años".
La madre de Ownby -el niño plagiado en enero- afirmó a los periodistas que estaba conforme de ver cómo el caso llegaba a su fin.
"Hemos estado esperando este momento", indicó Doris Ownby. "Haber llegado hasta aquí es sólo un alivio". AFP
Devlin pleads guilty in Franklin County
By Stephen Deere and Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/10/2007
>> Michael Devlin is escorted by Franklin County sheriff's deputies from the Franklin County Courthouse.
(Robert Cohen/P-D)
UNION — The answers, just a series of simple "Yes" responses, came in a flat, raspy voice.
Michael J. Devlin listened as the details of his crimes were recited methodically in a Franklin County courtroom:
He spent three months searching in rural areas for a boy he could abduct. He homed in on 13-year-old William "Ben" Ownby, who walked to his home alone from his bus stop. He used a Ruger 9 mm pistol to force the boy into his truck.
And when the frightened boy pleaded, "Why?" the abductor's only response was, "Just Advertisement because." Advertisement
"Is that a fair recitation of what occurred on Jan. 8?" Circuit Judge Stanley Williams asked Devlin on Monday.
"Yes, sir," he answered.
He offered the same short responses — "Yes, sir," "No, sir," "Yes, I did" — as Williams worked through a list of procedural questions.
Williams sentenced Devlin to life in prison for the kidnapping charge and to 20 years in prison for the armed criminal action charge.
And so began Devlin's tour of four courtrooms in the area to answer a host of charges in the abduction and sexual assault of Ben and an earlier victim, Shawn Hornbeck. The two were found in Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood on Jan. 12.
After Monday's court proceedings in Union, Devlin's lawyers offered more answers: Their client wanted the world to know that he is confessing to the crimes to spare his family and
QUESTIONS REMAIN
But it was clear that, even after Devlin confesses to more charges in the next day or two, some answers won't come immediately, if ever.
Reporters asked his lawyers why Devlin kidnapped the boys. Did something happen to him as a child?
"We can't go into that," said lawyer Michael Kielty.
The prosecutor, Robert Parks, stopped short of answering speculation that has swirled since the boys were discovered. Was Shawn in the truck at the time Ben was abducted?
"I'm not going to get into that," Parks said. "This kid was in such pain, such fear. … You cannot even imagine the horror that must have been going through Shawn Hornbeck during those four years."
The goal of keeping that horror private has driven authorities in the case. They brought an avalanche of charges, 86 in all, against Devlin in hopes of forcing a plea deal.
This week will provide some partial revelations necessary to accomplish two things: making certain Devlin will spend the rest of his life in prison, and sparing the teenage boys from having to testify at a trial.
"There is a lot more to this case than has come out — and will probably never come out — for the benefit of the boys," Parks said.
Parks called Devlin "evil" and added, "You'll never see anybody worse than this."
As for the question of Devlin's involvement in other cases, a group of law enforcement officials says it's not done searching for an answer. A task force was formed to investigate whether Devlin had a connection to several other child abductions in the region.
"The investigation is still continuing," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Tom Blades said Monday. "They're still working on a timeline for him."
YELLOW MITTENS
Devlin was being held in the Franklin County jail overnight, before he is transported today and possibly Wednesday to other courtrooms in the area.
On Monday, Devlin pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and armed criminal action in Franklin County for the abduction of Ben. He is expected to follow suit in Washington County, where Shawn was abducted in 2002 at age 11, and in St. Louis County (where Shawn was held for more than four years and Ben for four days) and federal court.
Parks said Devlin would have to serve at least 30 years in a state penitentiary for the offenses in Franklin County but noted that the other jurisdictions have yet to add their own sentences.
If Devlin outlives his state sentences, Parks said, he would then be taken to a federal prison.
When Devlin first appeared in court Monday, he was wearing an orange jumpsuit. His hands were in yellow mittens to thwart any attempt to unlock handcuffs.
Devlin, the formerly portly Imo's pizza manager, appeared much thinner. He was cleanshaven, had a short-cropped haircut and wore wire-rimmed glasses. He stood a few feet from Ben's parents, Doris and Don Ownby, but never looked their way during the 17-minute proceeding.
Parks said in court that before abducting Ben, Devlin had been searching rural areas for another victim "because the schools get out later and so he would have time to go around and follow the bus routes until he saw a boy he liked."
When Ben got off the bus on Jan. 8, Devlin drove his white pickup down the lane toward the Ownby house.
"He asked Ben if he knew where some people lived," Parks said. "Ben looked very nervous, and he thought Ben was going to run in the opposite direction. … He got out of the truck and showed Ben the gun. Ben didn't move, and Devlin moved to put him in the truck."
Before Devlin could drive off, one of Ben's neighbors, Mitchell Hults, spotted the white pickup. Mitchell's detailed description of the truck eventually led to Devlin's arrest.
Mitchell, now 16 and a high school sophomore, said Monday he is happy that the Devlin case is nearly over.
"I think it's pretty great he's behind bars," Mitchell said.
Doris and Don Ownby said Ben knew about Monday's hearing, but they would not comment on their son's feelings about it.
Both said they had expected a plea agreement for a while.
"We have been waiting for this moment," Doris Ownby said. "Now for it to be here, it's just a relief."
Kielty, one of Devlin's lawyers, said it had become clear to his client that "the facts are absolutely overwhelming" and there was no point to holding a trial.
"He does have remorse," Kielty said. "He knows what he has done is wrong."
Jessica Bock and Robert Patrick of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. SLD
HISTORIAL 
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