Karen A. Simek, a 53-year-old dedicated food service worker, tragically lost her life on January 31, 2017, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On that fateful morning, Karen had just parked her car outside her workplace, Garden-Fresh Foods, located near 12th and National Avenue. As she stepped out of her vehicle, she was ambushed and shot in the face at point-blank range during a robbery. The assailant stole her purse and fled the scene, leaving Karen fatally wounded.
Despite the immediate response from authorities, the case initially went cold due to a lack of eyewitnesses and clear surveillance footage.
The breakthrough in the investigation came nearly a year later, in December 2017, when police arrested David McLaurin on an unrelated charge. During questioning, McLaurin implicated his roommate, Carl Knight, in Karen's murder. McLaurin revealed that Knight, along with another roommate, Samantha Gustafson, had been involved in a series of robberies to pay their rent. He specifically mentioned that Knight had confessed to killing an 'older white lady' and taking her purse.
Following this lead, the police arrested Carl Knight, who eventually admitted to the crime. Knight claimed that the gun went off accidentally as he was stealing Karen's purse. Despite his assertion that he was pressured into committing the robbery by McLaurin and Gustafson, Knight was charged with felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In July 2018, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison, with an additional 12 years of extended supervision.
Samantha Gustafson faced charges of harboring/aiding a felon and received a year of probation. McLaurin, who had initially provided the crucial information leading to Knight's arrest, was also charged with harboring/aiding a felon, but his case was eventually dismissed. The tragic loss of Karen Simek deeply affected her family and community, who remembered her as a beloved wife, daughter, sister, coworker, and friend.
