It is now coming out that Shawn Hornbeck may have been the one to push/pull little Ben Ownby into the white truck Devlin was driving, making him an accomplice to the crime (although prosecutors say that charges won’t be pressed).

Man, oh, man, this is one fucked up kid. I’m not saying it’s his fault, but man, he’s got to have some major issues! (Like, duh!)

From KMOV TV:

Law enforcement sources tell News 4 that Hornbeck was forced to help grab Ownby, and even push the boy to the floorboard of the white Nissan truck. We’ve also learned that Ben was held with a gun and duct tape.
Pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Robin Park says that Devlin would have had to desensitize and brainwash the Shawn for months to get him to do something so clearly wrong.
Police speculate that in Devlin’s eyes, Shawn, at age 15, was getting too old.
Devlin may have struck a deal with Shawn to help get a new victim. This did not surprise the expert.
Hornbeck’s family attorney says that Shawn will in no way be prosecuted for his involvement in the crime. The experts feel sympathy for a child who would go to such lengths.

I think there’s going to me a lot more shocking details to come. We don’t even know the half of it.

Click here for the video report.

Bookmark to:
    

I’ll admit that I’m quite the pessimist and did not anticipate a good outcome when Ben Ownby was abducted several days ago. And now it’s being reported that not only did this story have the happy ending of him being found alive, but also the amazing news that they also found Shawn Damian Hornbeck, a boy that was last seen over four years ago. Holy Deep End of the Ocean! From CNN.com:

Two missing St. Louis-area boys, one of them missing since 2002, were found alive in a Kirkwood, Missouri, apartment, and a suspect was arrested, Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said Friday.

Shawn Damian Hornbeck, 15, of Richwoods, Missouri, was last seen riding his bike to a friend’s house in October 2002. Richwoods is about 60 miles south of St. Louis.

The man found with the boys, Michael J. Devlin, 41, was arrested and charged with only one count of kidnapping, but certainly charges regarding Shawn’s abduction are to follow shortly.

I can’t even imagine the emotion that their families — especially the Hornbecks — must be experiencing right now. I wish them all the best, and in this instance am extremely glad my “half-empty” view of life was completely wrong.

Bookmark to: