Kidnap Suspect's Interview Upsets Lawyers

(CBS/AP)  Attorneys for kidnapping suspect Michael Devlin criticized jail security, saying a New York Post correspondent obtained a jailhouse interview with him by identifying herself as one of his friends.

The newspaper obtained the first interview with the 41-year-old pizzeria manager accused of kidnapping Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby. Hornbeck, now 15, was held captive for more than four years. Ownby, 13, was missing four days when both boys were found Jan. 12 at Devlin's apartment.

The Post published a story Sunday in which Devlin talked about being lonely but said life was good for him over the past four years.

"There was a standing order that no media was allowed in to see my client," said Michael Kielty, an attorney for Devlin.

But Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke released a statement late Sunday saying security at the jail was not breached. He said an inmate can accept or decline media requests, and in this case, Devlin accepted.

Kielty said lawyers planned to ask a judge Monday to move Devlin to a more secure facility.

The reporter, Susannah Cahalan, told jail officials she was a friend of Devlin's when she went for a visit Friday morning, Toelke said.

Toelke said jail authorities do not know whether Cahalan told Devlin she was a reporter.

"It would actually not make any difference to us who she was as long as Devlin granted the interview," Toelke said.

The sheriff said after that interview, Devlin signed a statement saying he did not want to conduct media interviews, though he already had a second meeting set up with Cahalan for Saturday. After the two met again Saturday, Devlin's attorneys issued a list of visitors allowed to see Devlin. That list excludes the media.

Kielty also said the reporter told Devlin she was writing for a university publication, not the Post.

After speaking with Post editor Col Allan, spokesman Howard Rubenstein said, "The response of the New York Post is that they stand by their published report."

In the Post article, Devlin said his parents had not visited him since his arrest.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain myself to my parents," Devlin said in his only public comments, except for a brief court appearance on Thursday where he pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping Ben. He faces a separate kidnapping charge in the Shawn Hornbeck case.

Devlin is accused of taking Ownby just after the boy got off a school bus Jan. 8 about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis. A schoolmate's tip about a white pickup led authorities to Devlin's apartment, where they found Ownby and Hornbeck, who had been missing since 2002 after being kidnapped while riding his bike.

"I guess I was relatively happy" during those four years, Devlin said.

Devlin said he "was never really interested in" romantic relationships — but would not say whether he was attracted to women.

"I can't talk about that because it has to do with the case," he said.

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)."

The 6'4", 300-pound 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.

[teeus]

"That said, hypothetically, what if it turns out that Devlin never physicially/sexually abused these boys and is just a maladjusted person who wanted some friends to play Xbox with him?"

Okay, hypothetically, if that DOES turn out to be the case, I'll eat my own head.

[busterkish]

Ethical lines seem to be crossed more and more these days, but as one of the characters in "Broadcast News" observed, "they keep moving that little sucker," or words to that effect. I recall a time when your own Erin Moriarity did sneak a similar jailhouse interview, using her status as an attorney, when she was working local television news at WJW-TV in Cleveland.

[camcd1]

Attorneys can choose their cases unless they are appointed by the court. Even upon being appointed the attorney in some cases has the ability to be relieved from representing that client. The fact is, most defense attorneys take cases and sometimes even compete for cases simply for the publicity and notariety.

[jc80013]

"See the media is part of the problem they love to glamorize freaks and fruits like this before long he'll be a household name and there will be imitators everywhere..... that's how it works... throw him in a hole and weld it shut is what they should do instead the media is going to give this fruit a soapbox..."

Posted by bildooreilly at 01:39 AM : Jan 23, 2007

Ever thought of moving to China bildooreilly? Sounds like their media and legal systems might be more to your liking.

[Ed0719]

Our legal system is built upon, and requires, that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. While we have incontrovertible proof of this guy's crimes, he still gets the benefit of our court system, which includes having lawyers to defend him. A lawyer MUST defend their client as best they can or they will be disbarred, no matter what their personal feelings about the case.

So people, don't go kicking the defense lawyers, they're doing their job. One day YOU may need a lawyer to defend you.

Without a valid trial, with an aggressive defense, our entire legal system would collapse and we'd be left with a system akin to a dictatorship or tyranny.

And before someone attacks me as "bleeding heart librul", I do find this Devlin man pretty disgusting and hope he never sees life as a free person ever again, never has the opportunity to affect another child.

[frankenchrst]

Any lawyer attempting to protect or defend this piece of human garbage is no better than the piece of human garbage himself.

[bildooreilly]

See the media is part of the problem they love to glamorize freaks and fruits like this before long he'll be a household name and there will be imitators everywhere..... that's how it works... throw him in a hole and weld it shut is what they should do instead the media is going to give this fruit a soapbox...

[meswin]

I hear the Shawn had a girlfriend while he was in captivity. For God's sake leave the poor girl alone!! I'm watching Fox News right now and Greta Van Susteren is asking if anyone has spoken to the girlfriend. She's just a child for crying out loud. Come on media, let's leave these kids alone!!!

[meswin]

It's a little late for him to volunteer at YMCA now isn't it? Obviously if he's out kidnapping little boys he's a psychotic nutcase and I wouldnt' want him to be my child's big brother, or to be around my kids if they were going to the YMCA.

[dmotte]

Big Bubba is waiting on that new booty.