Suspect in Mo. abductions says the 4 years while 1 boy was missing were happy ones

NEW YORK (AP) _ The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys and holding one of them for four years said life was good for him during that period, a newspaper reported Sunday. <br/><br/>Michael Devlin,

Sunday, January 21st 2007, 2:26 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys and holding one of them for four years said life was good for him during that period, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Michael Devlin, 41, said his own parents, who live nearby, have not visited him since his arrest earlier this month, The New York Post reported.

``I don't know how I'm going to explain myself to my parents,'' Devlin told the Post in two 15-minute interviews at the Franklin County Jail in Union, Mo., in his first public comments since his arrest, aside from a brief court appearance.

``It's much easier talking to a stranger about these things than your own parents.''

The 41-year-old pizzeria manager is accused of taking 13-year-old Ben Ownby just after the boy got off a school bus Jan. 8 in Beaufort, Mo., about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis. A schoolmate's tip about a white pickup led authorities to Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, where they found Ben and Shawn Hornbeck on Jan. 12. Shawn had been missing since 2002.

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

Devlin pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping Ben. He also is charged with kidnapping Shawn but has not entered a plea in that case.

``I will not discuss anything related to the case,'' he told the Post.

Devlin said he ``was never really interested in'' romantic relationships but wouldn't 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).''

In jail, Devlin is separated from other inmates because his lawyers and guards believe other prisoners could attack him.

``I'm not worried. It's inevitable. I will eventually have to deal with it,'' he said, ``I haven't exactly done a great job of representing myself so far.''

Devlin's attorneys, Michael Kielty and Ethan Corlija, criticized jail security Sunday and said they had previously advised their client against talking to the media.

They said they planned to ask a judge Monday to move Devlin to a ``more secure'' facility, perhaps in nearby St. Charles or St. Louis counties. Franklin County officials have said they believe appropriate security measures are being taken.

Kielty and Corlija said they also were concerned about Devlin's arraignment last week by closed-circuit TV in which he appeared in an orange jail jumpsuit. They said they had filed a motion to have him appear in street clothes but did not argue the point because they were assured he would only be seen by the judge. The images were widely broadcast, however.

``What else can these people do to hurt his case?'' Kielty said.