A teenage girl is found murdered after being abducted while walking in Marcy, NY
On a warm September afternoon in 1985, 16-year-old Kimberly 'Kim' Simon left her home in Marcy, New York, for a walk to meet a friend at the nearby Whitesboro Junior High School. It was a journey she would never complete. The following day, September 19, 1985, her body was discovered in a wooded area off of Mohawk Street, less than a mile from her house. An investigation revealed that the teenage girl had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled.
The murder of the kind and caring teenager, who was known for being fun and full of life, sent shockwaves through the quiet community. In the ensuing investigation, a local man named Steven Barnes was arrested and subsequently convicted of Kimberly's rape and murder, receiving a sentence of 25 years to life. For nearly two decades, Kimberly's family and the community believed that justice had been served.
However, a significant turn of events unfolded nearly 20 years into Barnes's sentence. Through the efforts of the Innocence Project, new DNA evidence emerged that proved his innocence, leading to his exoneration in 2008. This revelation meant that the individual responsible for Kimberly Simon's death had never been brought to justice and the case was officially reopened. The wrongful conviction not only highlighted flaws in the initial investigation, which relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, but also renewed the pain and uncertainty for Kimberly's loved ones.
In the years since Barnes's exoneration, the search for Kimberly's killer has continued. Investigators have revisited old leads and explored new theories, including the possibility of involvement by a group of individuals. Despite ongoing efforts and a reward offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, the case remains unsolved. The tragic story of Kimberly Simon has left a lasting scar on the Mohawk Valley community, and her family continues to seek answers and closure. A documentary titled 'Silence and Shame: The Murder of Kim Simon' was planned for release to bring renewed attention to her case.
