Missouri Abduction Suspect: "I Was Lonely"

Pizza Manager Accused In Teens' Kidnapping Gives First Interview

(CBS/AP)  Michael Devlin, the man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys, says he still hasn't decided how to explain himself to his parents, who have not visited him since his arrest.

"It's much easier talking to a stranger about these things than your own parents," Devlin told the New York Post in an interview published today. He is accused of kidnapping teenagers Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby.

In two jailhouse meetings with reporters Devlin talked about his life before and after his arrest, but refused to discuss the criminal charges or the alleged crimes.

Devlin said only his lawyers have visited him since his arrest, although his parents and siblings live nearby.

The Post said Devlin appeared downcast and red-eyed during the first interview Friday, but was smiling and more upbeat during an interview Saturday.

"I feel nothing," he said in the first interview. "I hide my emotions from other people. I hide the way I feel."

Around 2002, he started losing contact with close friends, most of whom he knew from Imo's, the pizza parlor he managed in Kirkwood.

"I guess you could say I was lonely. All my friends starting getting married and having kids," he said. "Hanging out with friends just becomes a lower priority (for them)."

He says he was relatively happy during the four years Hornbeck lived with him before being found at Devlin's apartment January 12th. He declined to say if he's ever had a girlfriend but said he's not interested in romantic relationships.

The 41-year-old pizzeria manager is accused of taking 13-year-old Ownby just after the boy got off a school bus Jan. 8 in Beaufort, Mo., about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis. A schoolmate's tip about a white pickup led authorities to Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, where they found Ownby and Hornbeck on Jan. 12. Shawn had been missing since 2002.

Devlin pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping Ben. He also is charged with kidnapping Shawn but has not entered a plea in that case.

The 6'4", 300 lb. inmate says he's being kept away from other prisoners at the Franklin County jail because his lawyer and guards think he may be attacked. He says he thinks that is likely, and he'll deal with it when it happens.

But he says he's not a danger to himself, calling it "bizarre" that he was kept on suicide watch the first two days he was in jail.

Devlin spoke of having a "normal" childhood. "It was happy as far back as I can remember," he said.

While growing up in Webter Groves, Mo., he did not express much enthusiasm for school, saying he "wasn't much of a student," and dropped out of a Jesuit university after one semester.

Devlin described himself as an outdoorsman, particularly fond of hunting and fishing, but amputations of two toes because of his diabetes forced him to give up those hobbies. Currently his interests have included playing video games, a pastime police say Devlin shared with Hornbeck.

If not for being in jail, Devlin told a reporter, "I'd be in front of my computer screen playing 'Final Fantasy XI.'"

[myawade]

in reply to Sniknuh's comments I AGREE WITH YOU!!!!!! the man is sick, to put it nicely, and death (even though it would make the world a safer place) is too easy of a way out. eye for an eye - those boys didn't have a choice in what their tomorrows would hold for them - devlin deserves a lot harsher punishment than what our legal system allows.

and for all of you out there that don't get why Sean didn't do more to end the tragedy for himself, i ask have you ever been kidnapped? abused (sexually, phisically, mentally)? scared for your life and/or the lives of those you love? I have, and no one out there has the right to pass judgement on sean or anyone. the bottom line is no one will ever truely know what those boys really went through, and how it has made them feel, and how it will effect their lives for the rest of their lives.

[sniknuh]

Devlin is the worst form of filth. People like him should not even be classified as human, as such, they should be punished wihout regard to personal suffering or societies values. I put him in the same category as other child killers.

I propose the following punishment:
1. Let anyone from the victims family beat him with lead pipes until he is close to death.
2. Amputate each of his limbs and genitals.
3. Blind him.
4. Chop his ears off and burst his ear drums.
5. Cut out his tongue and vocal cords.
5. Snap his spine to paralyze him.
6. Take this "stump" and put him in a dark room and feed him through a tube to keep him alive 50 years without any human contact. He will just lay there all day with no sight, sound, fell and human interaction whatsoever.
7. After 50 years, inject him with HIV, Cancer and other awful diseases to increase suffering.
8. After 50 years, crush this stump in a metal press.

I guarantee that this punishment would do more for detracting other sickos from hurting our children than any amount of counseling ever would. You will all comment on how sick this would be....however, this is the only punishment that would truly deter these animals. Just ask the father of Paully Kluas how much he has suffered.

[wadecounty01]

If not for being in jail, Devlin told a reporter, "I'd be in front of my computer screen playing 'Final Fantasy XI.'"

I think playing that game is his main problem.

[ecuadoriana]

He was LONELY??!!! Good grief. Everybody gets lonely sometimes! But most people call a hotline, chat on the internet, adopt a pet, whatever. Didn't he man the phones for a funeral home? He had a pizza job. He couldn't talk to his co-workers, his customers?

Sorry, but this is no excuse to STEAL CHILDREN!!!!

The fact that his parents haven't been to visit him in jail says a lot. They obviously haven't visited in over 4 years either or else they would have known he abducted a child! They probably have known for a long time that "he ain't right in de head" so it's funny that he seems so disappointed that they haven't stopped by for a visit!

"...but was smiling and more upbeat during an interview Saturday..." Yes, now that he's making all these new "friends" & is getting his 15 minutes of fame!! YUCK!!!

Obviously, the most effective form of punishment for him will be to not allow him to play an video games in prison. But he'd probably hire a lawyer & claim "cruel & unusual punishment"!

[Ralph Babcock]

there needs to be more emphasis out there for mentally ill to get help, therefore preventing some of this terrible behavior.

[apdepetris]

This is such a double-edged sword. People want to understand how theses criminals can do these things. But I don't think anyone will make any sense of these people. They are obviously disturbed in some way. How can you possibly try to understand what is and was going on in this man's mind.

And I think saying he was lonely is his way of justifying what he did. But to look at the case, you have to see that there is a whole lot more going on here. He took one kid at 11 then 4 yrs. later took another 11 year old. You have to think that maybe he likes kids that age and was replacing the older Shawn with the younger Ben. And after he had gotten Ben under his control he probably would have disposed of Shawn. I just get this awful feeling that this is a pattern for him and that they might find a trail of such victims over the years. Kidnap a young child and when they get to old, replace them with a newer model.

[gerrri-2009]

HEY, EVERYONE. GO TO STLTODAY.COM to read about this trashy reporter, susan cahalan, and how she got this interview. Then email the ny newspaper and tell them what you think about their ethics and integrity!!! What a bunch of sorry people. HOW DARE ANYONE HUMANIZE MICHAEL THE DEVIL.

[gerrri-2009]

Thank goodness some of you are finally sounding off about this. I read 10 pathetic comments before someone finally went off on him - thought I was the only one pissed off about this story!!! HOW COULD THE LOSERS IN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX NOT KNOW??? YOU ALL SHOULD FEEL LIKE ***!!!!!! YOU'RE ALL WORTHLESS, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY YOU WERE LIVING AT THAT DUMP IN THE FIRST PLACE. SHAME ON YOU!!!

[jetlizhan]

Lonely???? Do volunteer work, help build houses for Habitat (good exercise, might lose some weight), buy a pound puppy, hamster, goldfish - good Heavens, there's so many avenues to combat lonliness. This just sounds like the only dumb-a$$ excuse he could come up with at the time. May he make LOTS of 'friends' in prison.

[johncboggs]

Have we become so disinterested in life because of video games and the internet that we have to force other people to share our existance? This is a sad comment on the world today and I am affraid it is only going to get worse as we become more and more computer dependent.
The doctors worry about US being over weight well look at what we have indoors to entertain US.

[wendyhoo-2009]

cdlkbwolf are you serious???? As an adult you should be able to handle losing your freinds to marriage and thier own families. Christ that is what happens as people get older they can't sit at the freaking bar watching a game every night while they have a family at home to provide for so the money spent at the bar is not something that can be done daily. Not to mention it takes two to make it and two should be home to raise it. So if he couldn't handle the pressure of people actually growing up and having a real life then that is not society's fault that is his. He admitted to liking to play video games often and would have been home doing so if he wasn't arrested. He is trapped as a child and that is not his peers or anyone elses fault for that matter. He is scum and should be treated like scum and thrown to the dogs.

[cdlkbwolf]

Aren't you all being a little hard on the guy? It's a shame he was so lonely. All he needed was a little love ... it's this cold world we live in that caused ths whole mess.

[tunman-2009]

Well he will have lots of friend in prison, they will love him there. Loved facistusa's comments, have not heard that hype since the 60's!

[diablosangel]

I think that shawn was fixin to be too old to satisfy this sick ******* needs thus the reason he took ben. LONELY???? PFFFT! Set his dumb a$$ in a room with those 2 kids parents & family and let them do to him every sick twisted thing that he ever thought of doing to their sons, if he has a breath of life in him after that, send him on into general population let the prisoners get hold of him Im positive he could make at least a couple men happy there b4 his life expires, there should be a ONE strike law for *** offenders and child-nappers penalty should be DEATH no acceptions, why should we continue to pay tax dollars to keep SCUM like this alive 1 day after a jury finds him guilty? hes a waste of skin and air and can never serve a solitray pupose on this earth, why would anyone in their right mind ever think of trying to spare him or others like him? My heart goes out to these boys and their families may God bless them all with the death of this man!

[nikkicatt1]

In this modern age, it seems that we are producing *** offenders, child molestors and basic pedophiles faster than at any other time. Is it our society? Between computers, text messaging, game boxes and hundreds of channels on TV, we have lost the art of communication. Where was Devlin's family? If my brother "lost contact" with us, I would be banging on his door finding out what's wrong. Stong family ties keep people from this behavior. If his family had taken the time to talk to him 5 years ago, we would not have this story on the news.

[fascistusa]

Lonely? In a FASCIST country?

NO WAY!!!

You got PLENTY of STUPID *** to keep you occupied.

WHO NEEDS LOVE... WHEN YOU'VE GOT MATERIALISM???

[meswin]

I hope Michael Devlin rots in hell. And you can be sure that if he had taken my kid, I'd be first in line to pull the trigger.

[meswin]

Yeah, I'm sure he was happy, in his own little world, torturing the families of these missing kids. What a selfish A$$wipe. Taking a child that he has no right to just because he was "lonely"?? Well I sure hope he's even lonlier in his solitary confinement. Although it would be something to put him into the general population and let them take him out like the trash he is. I'm sure he would have gotten rid of Shawn in due time after he took Ben. And I can't believe that none of those neighbors noticed that truck of his, after the media blitz when Ben was taken. Come on people, open your eyes. That truck had been there for how long, and it took a couple of law enforcement officers who don't even live in the area to notice the truck? That story was huge, you can't tell me someone else didn't notice the truck matched the description of the suspect vehicle. Stupid, ignorant people. The kid showed up out of the blue, looking like an abducted child whose picture was splashed all over the country and not one of those neighbors noticed or cared to call authorities? Stupid stupid people. Let's show a little bit more concern for America's children.

[ncolsens]

he should have just got himself a dog, they are much cheaper and when you get bored and want a new one you take the old one to the pound!! much cheaper without going to jail for it. Providing he did not steal the dog

[emok-2009]

It is so sad that they had to seperate this man because he will be tortured, but about the trauma those kids went through!!. This man was so sick to the point that i believe he would have got ride of Shawn after he got ben to cover his tracks.This man needs to shut up and go to jail for life.