The former pizza shop manager who abducted two boys and held them captive tightened his psychological hold on the one he kept for four years by taking him along on the kidnapping of the second child.
By doing so, Michael Devlin convinced Shawn Hornbeck that running to the police would get both of them arrested.
Devlin essentially said, "OK, buddy, now that you're in the truck with me, you're in as much trouble as I am," Scott Sherman, an attorney for Shawn and his family, said.
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Michael Devlin abducted two boys and held them captive. He used 'mind games' on the one he kept for four years by taking him along on the kidnapping of the second child
In the most detailed public explanation yet of how Devlin kept Shawn and the other boy under his control, Sherman and prosecutor John Rupp told The Associated Press that Shawn did all he could to stop his captor from kidnapping Ben Ownby.
They said Shawn was powerless to fight the man who had systematically abused and manipulated him for years.
Reunited in January 2007 after four years: Kidnapped Shawn Hornbeck and his mother Pam
Devlin told Shawn in fall 2006 that he planned to kidnap another boy, just as he had taken Shawn in 2002 while the then-11-year-old boy was riding his bike near his home in the town of Richwoods, Rupp said.
"Shawn just went ballistic on Devlin, telling him: 'There's no way another boy should have to go through what I went through'," Rupp said, referring to the years during which Devlin tortured and abused the boy, keeping him isolated in an apartment while forcing him to take the name Shawn Devlin.
The details from Rupp emerged after Devlin made his fourth and final guilty plea.
In federal court, he admitted to making pornographic photographs and videotapes of Shawn and taking him across state lines to engage in sex acts.
On Monday and Tuesday, Devlin was sentenced immediately to life terms for kidnapping and abusing the boys in Washington, St. Louis and Franklin counties.
Devlin received 20 consecutive life sentences, making the 41-year-old ineligible for parole until he is more than 100 years old.
The media generally does not identify suspected victims of sexual abuse, but the story of Shawn and Ben has been widely publicised, and their names are well known.
Evidence presented at the hearings painted Devlin as a calculating predator with a seemingly boundless appetite for inflicting pain on young boys - and an uncanny ability to manipulate the circuits of a child's mind.
Rupp said he did not know of any time that Shawn ever tried to flee Devlin's captivity, because he was terrified Devlin would find him and kill him.
But Shawn's resistance to Devlin had grown so intense by late 2006 that the man realized his normal threats of murder or sexual violence would not control the boy, Sherman said.
"When none of those threats can work, and Shawn was going nuts, then the only thing that was left was that Shawn had to be in as much trouble" as Devlin was, Sherman said.
Devlin's lawyers said the accounts of their client are accurate.
"I think that Shawn Hornbeck is really a hero," said Ethan Corlija.
"He really threw himself on the sword many times so Ben would not have to go through any undue torture."
Devlin admitted to taking Shawn, torturing him and controlling him for four years before kidnapping Ben and keeping him for four days.
A manhunt after Ben's disappearance led authorities to Devlin's apartment in suburban St. Louis on 12 January, where authorities were shocked to discover Shawn, as well.
It appears that Ben was in more danger than previously known.
Devlin told Shawn that he planned to kill the boy after abusing him and had no intention of taking the risk to create another "son," as he had with Shawn, Rupp said.
"He told Shawn that was his plan - he was going to keep Ben for a while and then kill him," Rupp said.
Corlija said he could not comment specifically on that assertion.
"The feelings that Devlin had for Hornbeck ran much deeper than they did for Ben Ownby. He wasn't as attached to Ben Ownby."
Devlin admitted in court that he tried to kill Shawn soon after kidnapping him.
He began to strangle the boy, "and he talked me out of it," Devlin said.
At that point, Shawn made a bargain that he would follow Devlin's orders to survive.
Devlin's control over Shawn began as violent and physical, Rupp said.
Devlin tied a rope about the boy's waist, then tied it around his own when he slept at night.
Devlin even tied the boy to a futon with duct tape over his mouth while the man worked as the manager of a pizza shop, according to evidence presented.
Over time, Shawn's shackles became psychological, Rupp said.
Devlin made Shawn submit to sexual abuse in return for toys.
He let the boy go outside - but only for moments at first. Eventually, Shawn had a friend, rode his bike around town and surfed the Internet.
Ironically, the small freedoms only enhanced Devlin's control, Rupp said.
"I think at some point, Devlin made a game out of it: Let's hide you in plain sight and let's see how dumb everyone is," Rupp said.
Though Shawn had some freedom, Devlin kept the boy away from adults who might question their relationship, Sherman said.
He kept the boy out of school, didn't introduce him to co-workers and stoked within Shawn a deep distrust of police officers and other authorities.
"Anybody normal was like Kryptonite to this monster," Sherman said.
When Devlin was holding Ben, Shawn tried to stay outside the apartment as much as possible, Rupp said.
Both boys knew Devlin had a 9 mm gun - which he used to kidnap Ben - and were terrified he would kill them both if they tried to escape or seek help, Rupp said.
When the boys were alone in the apartment they watched television and played video games, Rupp said.
On 12 January, a tip led authorities to Devlin's apartment.
An FBI agent questioned Devlin at the pizzeria, where he confessed to having both boys, Rupp said.
After Devlin's last court appearance, Shawn's father, Craig Akers, described the end of four hearings as a big relief, a "last sigh" for the family.
"We're just so glad this is the outcome, that the monster is caged and will remain caged."
Shawn has been watching news coverage of Devlin's guilty pleas and knows he is finally free of the man's grip, Akers said.
"He's been following the proceedings for the first time since he's come home," he said.
When asked what words Shawn used when he saw Devlin sentenced on television, Akers and his wife Pam exchanged a quick smile. "There's some of them I don't think I can actually use," Akers said.
Paedophile used boy he held captive for four years to lure second child | the Daily Mail
Paedophile used boy he held captive for four years to lure second child
*JUST KIDDING!!! 
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