This week, Michael Devlin pleaded guilty in four different Missouri courts to charges of abduction, sexual assault and attempted murder involving two boys: Shawn Hornbeck and William (Ben) Own by. That brought to a close a case that riveted the nation back in January when police, who were searching for Ben, found him at Devlin's apartment along with Shawn, a teenager who had been missing for more than four years. New disturbing details about the kids' captivity emerged during Devlin's court appearances this week. He admitted to tying Shawn to a futon in the early days after kidnapping him, making videotapes of sexual acts with him and once nearly choking him to death, until Shawn talked Devlin out of it by promising to do whatever Devlin wanted. The plea agreement ensured that Devlin, who received multiple life sentences, will be locked away until his death—and spared the boys the trauma of having to testify in court. To learn how Shawn took the news and how his recovery is going, NEWSWEEK's Arian Campo-Flores spoke to his parents, Craig and Pam Akers. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: How did you react when you learned the news of Devlin's plea agreement?
Craig Akers: That would've been on Thursday, Oct. 4. It was early evening. We were actually driving. Ironically, we were on our way to meet the rest of the family to have dinner for my birthday. We were going to the same restaurant where the entire family was together on the day before Shawn's disappearance—the last time we had all been together as a family. Pam got the call [from our attorney], and he just pretty much told us that they had been able to come to an agreement. We were cautiously optimistic, extremely happy that it could be handled that way, but at the same time, we knew that until the deal was done, [Devlin] could still change his mind at any time. So we didn't go into party mode. We were still very cautious. We didn't want to get our hopes up.
How did Shawn react?
Craig: We didn't want to get his hopes up either, so we didn't tell him a whole lot about it [at first]. Naturally, once he found out, he was elated, happy that he wouldn't have to get up on the stand and share this with the whole world. And he knew that the defendant would be incarcerated for the rest of his life and there was no way he would be able to get out and be able to harm another person on the face of the earth.
Devlin's court appearances this week were the first time you came face to face with him. What was it like to confront him in person?
Pam Akers: I knew it was one of the hardest things we would have to do. We knew eventually we would have to be in the same room. I thought I was prepared, but when he entered, I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. It was horrible to sit in the same room with him that close to us, knowing what he had done to our son. I tried to make eye contact with him, but he never did look at me. He would never look over. I had said many times on TV when we were begging on TV for his release that there's nothing like the wrath of a mad mother. I wanted him to see that. I thought he might see some of the pain he had inflicted.
Do you think justice has been served with Devlin's multiple life sentences?
Craig: As much as it can be. There really wasn't a sentence that the court could impose that would be strong enough to deal with this. Whether it was multiple life sentences, the death penalty—it just seems that it was too easy. It didn't mean that he was going to suffer. Life in prison is not going to be a walk in the park, but it won't compare to the things that he subjected these boys to. Justice is justice, not always satisfaction. We thought for a while that the death penalty would be appropriate, but the more we thought about it, it was too simple, too easy. A very, very long life in prison in miserable conditions, segregated from the population, seemed more of a punishment.
How was Shawn handling the prospect of testifying?
Pam: He wasn't excited about it, but he was very much prepared for it and willing to do whatever he had to do to make sure justice was served.
Craig: That was something we had been discussing with therapists, and it was on the agenda to start preparing him for that eventuality. When we had originally talked to the therapist about a trial at the beginning of the year, the therapist wasn't happy with that at all. They would have to stop what they were working on and work exclusively on preparing him. [With Devlin's plea agreement], they weren't going to have to disrupt the whole process and make them start all over again.
Does this allow for a measure of closure for all of you?
Craig: Yeah, in a way. We look at it as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Obviously, this was a life-changing experience for all of us, but it does give us the ability to move forward and put this part behind us. We don't have to worry about trials. We don't have to worry about defendants.
Has Shawn been following the news of the court proceedings?
Pam: Actually, he has. All of the reports from before, he would never watch. He would walk out of the room. But we called him when we walked out of each courtroom [this week] and told him that was over with. When we got home, he watched it on TV. The first time he saw [the news], he shocked us. He turned it up and made everybody be quiet. It was a satisfaction to him to know the sentence. He said, "Of course he pled guilty, because he knew he was guilty."
How did he respond to seeing Devlin's face again?
Pam: He didn't make a comment about it. We did give him the option to go to court with us. It was completely up to him. He told us he didn't have any desire to be in the same room with him ever again.
How has Shawn been dealing with the public discussion of what Devlin did to him?
Craig: He's handling it remarkably well, even though it is bringing out a lot of details that weren't out there before. A lot more information has been made available to the public that wasn't there before. That information has gone a long way to try to make sense of the question of why he didn't try to get away [during his time in captivity]. There's been a lot of statements by people that he had all this freedom, that he could walk away any time. We knew better. There was this naive perception, that even [with] all he'd been through, that didn't give him reason for not walking away. We're hoping some of that information that comes out will change people's perceptions, open people's eyes more to what he was subjected to. It turned out he had to make a deal to save his life. That was one of the primary reasons that he didn't get away. He had made that promise. Any moment could be his last. He lived daily under the threat of death. Even if he did get away, it wouldn't be impossible for the defendant to find him and kill him. Hopefully, this will shed light on that whole situation.
I recall your anger at all of the speculation about why Shawn didn't flee.
Craig: That was really difficult for us to hear as a parent, and especially knowing what we knew. We knew more details, we knew why things were the way they were. But due to the ongoing litigation, we couldn't share it at that point, so that made it doubly hard for us, knowing there was a very valid reason for that to happen.
Did Shawn explain to you himself why he never tried to escape?
Craig: Yeah, it was shortly after Shawn's return. One evening after much thought, he came out of the shower and wanted to share this information with us. He wanted to share details of what happened to him. And as part of his therapy, he's writing about things that happened, the things that are most traumatic for him, and then sharing those with his mother and I. So between what he initially told us and what we learned through the therapy process, we had a really good idea of what was going on in his head, and he did express to us what the real reason was. He knew we had those same questions. Though we didn't care, we had those questions ourselves. He wanted to satisfy that in our minds and get it off his chest.
Pam: A big problem I have is that some supposedly respected media figures spoke out in the beginning and questioned why Shawn didn't run. When you have a public person speak out like that, a lot will follow. I feel those people need to give Shawn a public apology. They don't realize how much that hurt him and the rest of the family. Until they apologize, I have no desire to speak to any of them.
What public figures are you referring to?
Pam: The one that comes to mind first is Bill O'Reilly. He said that Shawn possibly liked where he was at. Bill's a very outspoken figure, and he has a very large following. It seems a lot of people thought that if Bill said it, it must be true. And there were some others that seemed to back him up, although not as openly and not as emphatically. Another is Geraldo [Rivera]. He went on Bill O'Reilly and was going along with him. They later backtracked some. But Bill O'Reilly has done excellent work for children, which was why it was so shocking.
How is Shawn doing with his recovery?
Craig: He's doing really well in all regards. One of the most important things to us was getting his education back up to speed. He worked one-on-one with a tutor over the summer. The current school year, he's in private school in St. Louis, a small school where they work one-on-one with students. They allow them to work at their own pace. He underwent an educational assessment [after his return], and at that time, he was working at about a 4.5 grade level. In the last couple weeks, they re-evaluated him, and now he's working at an eighth or ninth grade level. We're just flabbergasted. It's evident how smart Shawn really is, how quickly he's able to get a grip on new things. The teachers are just glowing with praise about how well he's doing. He seems to be a leader. Other children look to him for guidance. He helps out other kids with problems. So in that respect, he's excelling. On an emotional level, it's not something that will go away overnight, but he's making very, very good progress. He's able to process what happened, and he's slowly learning to cope with that. He has good days and bad days. There are days when you can tell he has something on his mind, but overall, we feel he's making fantastic progress. We're seeing the shine and sparkle in his eyes, a lot of the old 11-year-old boy come out, the joking. He was all about being in a good mood and sharing that with the world. Slowly but surely, we're seeing that come back. In the early months, we didn't see that, we didn't see that personality. It was in there, but hidden. He has made a lot of progress since then. We're certain he will be able to get a handle on this, and make it to where it's not part of his everyday existence.
What's his life like these days?
Pam: He's back to riding his dirt bike. The birthday before he was taken, we had given him his first dirt bike. For his 16th birthday, he got a new one. Next season, he might do some racing. There's also his four-wheeler, basketball, baseball, videogames, things normal teens do.
Craig: And also talking on the phone [sighs and laughs]. He has reconnected with several friends he was in school with at the time of his abduction. He has made quite a few new friends, and he's developing some good friendships through his school. He's a very outgoing kid. He's able to just walk up and start talking to someone. It seems he's able to make those friendships very quickly. His circle of friends is growing rapidly. We're thrilled there are kids out there that can look beyond all that negative information out there and treat him just like any other kid that they met. It's really wonderful for us to know that kids are accepting him for who he is. We know that's not always going to be the case. Some kids are going to say things that are inappropriate and will hurt his feelings.
Has Shawn seen any of the friends he made during his captivity?
Craig: To this point, no. As part of the litigation, he was asked not to have any contact with any of the friends he made while in captivity. Now that that's over, that's up to Shawn. If he wants to reconnect with some of those kids, we will certainly make that available to him.
Given all the media exposure Shawn got, does he attract a lot of attention?
Craig: Actually, we're finding that he's really not as recognized as much as we thought he'd be. Pam and I are much more recognizable. It's making it difficult for us to go places as a family. But Shawn seems to blend in. Very infrequently do children passing by him recognize him. In fact, there are some instances where he had to convince a child that he was Shawn Hornbeck [laughs].
How have you balanced being protective of him with allowing him the independence a teenager wants?
Pam: It's very hard and a very fine line that we walk everyday. We just take it day by day. Eventually, hopefully, it won't be in the back of our minds, but at this point, we're not there. We always make sure someone's there [with him].
Craig: We've got a group of family members that we're comfortable with him being with, so when there's something Shawn wants to do and an occasion where we don't want him to be recognized, we'll send him out with one of those relatives or a couple close friends that we trust enough. It's hard to pick and choose who I am going to entrust my child to, who's going to have the right answers, the right actions in case something did come up. That's been an ongoing process and a difficult process. We can't be there 24 hours a day. And, naturally, he doesn't want his parents shadowing him wherever he goes.
What kind of therapy has Shawn been undergoing?
Craig: He has one dedicated therapist that he works with, and then Pam and I have individual therapists that we work with. And we all three work together with Shawn's primary therapist. We found one that he's extremely comfortable with.
How open has Shawn been with you about what he went through during his captivity?
Pam: It's been very painful for him. One thing he told us is he didn't want to see us cry anymore. We told him he doesn't have to worry, we're adults. We assure him that nothing he did was wrong. He was the victim in this case. No matter what he wants to share, it's an open policy. He can tell us anything that he wants and we will work with it. We don't talk about it just in therapy. If something comes up, we'll talk. And sometimes you can tell from his eyes that he's gone somewhere else, and we'll ask him if he wants to talk.
What has been most challenging in his recovery?
Pam: I think what the public is thinking. He knows what went on, we know what went on, the defendant knew what went on. I guess he's having a hard time with the public saying what he should've done without walking in his shoes.
Has Shawn been working at all at the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which you started after his disappearance and which helps locate missing kids?
Craig: He has participated in child ID events. He has actually worked on producing IDs. He has made comments that some day, he thinks he might like to talk with other kids in areas such as abduction prevention, things they can do to keep them safe if they were ever put into the same situation. And there's also been talk of being able to counsel other kids that have been put through these types of situations and help them get a handle on their feelings.