Question:
What is Your Opinon On Shawn Hornbecks/ Shawn Devlin's Case?
Sugar Cookies <3
2007-01-21 10:29:38 UTC
Here is What happen

A man arrested after two missing boys were found in his apartment terrorized one of them with a handgun to get him to cooperate, prosecutors allege in new charges filed Wednesday.charged with kidnapping Shawn Hornbeck, 15, who had been missing more than four years when he was found Friday.

I think That He just wanted to Run away But for 4 years, He Talked to his family over the Internet in Fourms And still didnt go home, Had a cell Phone Did call home, Had Internet Didnt even try. Hmm...
Nine answers:
michele36
2007-01-23 09:32:49 UTC
I don't believe at all that he wanted to run away. He was so terrified by this freak and didn't know what would happen if he tried to run or told the police the few times they were there. Who knows what Devlin told him, maybe that he was friends with the police and they wouldn't do anything. I'm sure it will all come out when Shawn is ready to talk about it. No one should be speculating on what happened until it comes out. Everyone should be so happy he is home with his family and can start to live a normal life! It's bad enough what he has been through for over 4 years, and then to have people say he ran away is ridiculous.
Frankie
2007-01-21 12:26:10 UTC
First of all I have never been kidnapped but I would imagine that it would be a very scary thing to have to go through. We have no idea what this man said to Shawn or did to him for four years. He was probably threatened in some way. He was just an 11 year old kid. Maybe the guy threatened to kill his family. There is an explaination out there we just have to wait and see what it is. I'm just very glad that he was found alive and that he is finally home with his family.
2007-01-23 14:16:14 UTC
Okay, just a thought...

What if Shawn didn't really have it that bad? What if Michael Devlin treated Shawn more like a son or a friend than anything else?



Or what if Shawn had it really bad and was really just terrified that something would happen to him or his family if he decided to tell someone the truth? What if he didn't think people would believe him?



There are a lot of questions, only Shawn and Michael know the answers....
2007-01-21 10:42:35 UTC
it's a really strange case..

The boy obviously wasn't starved, secluded, or beaten(from pictures). He had a girlfriend, which means he must have had some kind of freedom.

I can understand that he didn't try to run away- because there's always going to be that fear that the kidnapper might come back. In a young boy's position that has been kidnapped- it could be more than just "go back home and i'll be fine". It's someone who would have never dreamed of being kidnapped in his life. I would have never expected myself to be a victim.

My theory is that the kidnapper liked children- but didn't mean harm. Though it's really hard to believe that the kidnapper didn't mean to do any harm but just to have children.
Mannie H
2007-01-21 10:35:46 UTC
I agree. Something strange about a boy who for more than four years had ample opportunities to contact the police or his family and chose not to do so. It is disgraceful how his parents are now exploiting the situation by TV appearances, probably a book and film will be forthcoming.
butterflyspy
2007-01-22 18:18:50 UTC
My opinion is he was kidnapped,threatened,abused and traumatised and for you to say or act like you thought he liked that lifestyle makes you a stupid heartless *****.
2007-01-21 10:39:03 UTC
he was 11, now 15.

leave the kid alone.

he has problems none of us would wish on our enemies.
darlingnicky772
2007-01-21 13:47:18 UTC
I am so sick and mad that people are saying he enjoyed being with that monster. I can see why people wonder way he hasn't ran or tell someone, call home maybe. It would of been so easy.

Yes, there is something strange about Hornbeck. Wouldn't you be after going through what he did and then coming home after 4 yrs? I know how this boy can be feeling in some ways. I was sexual abused by my step Father. For 6 yrs. this happened to me. I didn't tell for yrs. Then when I did. The school did nothing. They had me tell my mom. When I did she did nothing. She is married to him till this day. It took my older sister finding help. After she went to my school, and they said it was a family matter, they wasn't going to get involved. My own grandparents knew something was going on, but never asked. I also had friends that I told just a few close ones. No one would help or say anything. I mean come on. I was scared to death of this man my whole life, and no one not even my mom did anything about it. He went to jail and pleaded guilty. My mother still stayed with him. That gos to show how people will not look twice at what the real picture is. That they just don't care to get involved.

Hornbeck was 11 and this man took him from his family. Almost an hr away from all that he knew. Who the hell says he got freedom. You never do. I don't care what people say. It plays on your mind everyday. The threats this man has put on him. Even if Hornbeck did run away from home thinking this man would be a friend and have all this freedom to do whatever. I can't see it, he was to young to think about running away. Unless things was really bad at home. It sounds to me that things was just fine at home. But lets just say that was the case. Who's the adult here? The man still had an under age boy. That was all over the news. I can see that Hornbeck could of been ashamed to come home and explain what happened. He probably thought his family has moved on. So he did too. Who knows what runs through a teens head. Who knows what he was thinking. I just know being abused, being taken away from family and being brain washed by a man for 4 yrs. You will believe what your being told. You get told your a peace of s**t, over and over again. You start to believe it. And for a 11, even a 15 yr old, they will believe it before an adult would.

As for the gifts, that Devlin gave this boy. I feel this was a way of not making Hornbeck feel like a prisoner. Well, people it worked. The so called freedom he got. Playing games with this boy. Devlin is a sick man.

As for the girlfriend, who's to say if he even told her. Who's to say Devlin even knew. He did work two jobs, yes?

As for the police stopping him and coming by for a bike that was taken. They wasn't doing there job. It makes me so mad to think this boy was face to face and had the chance to say something. Not, mad at him just at the police. I'm sure Hornbeck thought if they doesn't ask why tell. He probably thought they wouldn't believe him.This just shows us that people don't pay no mind to our children, people in need. That we think something could be wrong, but in our own minds think we are being crazy, that our mind is playing tricks on us. Well, I say I would rather look or seem crazy and say something, try to get someone to listen. Or that people don't want to get involved and go through the mess of talkng to the police and being wrong. In one interview with a man (that was a neighbor) on the STL Fox news. He said they would hear yelling, whimpering, crying, cussing, like someone being abused. HELLO! Why didn't someone call the people then? This boy could of wind up dead. Cause we as people don't want to get involved. What is this message we are sending to our children? Huh, makes you think twice on why Hornbeck didn't say anything. Plus I'm sure Hornbeck knew Devlin watched the news. Knew what his parents looked like. He knew where the home town was. He probably thought if he ran, or whatever. That Devlin would come back to kill or get him. Remember children will believe anything as a child. He still is a child, people!

Now for the ones thinking"Why are these parents parading these boys through the media"? Well, I'm sure if the boys wasn't up to it they wouldn't do it. This is a big story. I think I would work with the media than have them camped out in my front yard. Wouldn't you?

Listen I could go on forever. I have gotten to obsessed with this story. I don't think anyone has the answer. Only Hornbeck does. I just hope maybe people would stop making Hornbeck more of a victim than he already has been. Pointing a finger at this boy is wrong. Until you know what it feels liked to be abused and have a understanding of this. Stop saying things your not sure is true. I have a bad feeling that these boys was abused in some way. In the interview with Oprah. Hornbeck said to Oprah "He had hoped no other person would have to go through what he did" And that he was happy that Ben came along, Not that he had to go through what he did. That statement to me means something happened. I Mean come on why would on adult man kidnap a child for, unless it was meant for. Well you know, I don't want to say it. Makes me sick thinking about it. I just hope these boys get the help they need, to deal with whatever it was that did happened. Yes, I would like to know the the whole story. But, really would you want the whole world to know about you if you was in these boys shoes? HUH? Maybe that's what we should be asking ourselves. I could see the sadness in Hornbeck's eyes and the happiness. He is filled with mixed feelings. But the way he looks at his parents and the way he hugged the people that did take action and didn't go "I must be crazy." I can tell he is happy to be home.
Janice M
2007-01-21 11:30:33 UTC
I TEHINK THERE IS A LOT MORE TO THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE.

hOWEVER i AM SO GLAD HE IS OK!!!!!!


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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