America's Most Wanted airs twisted local murder case

UTICA, MARCH 14, 2010-- The final moments of Kimberly Simon’s life may very well have been spent with a group of Satan worshipers, who practiced dark rituals in the New York Mills area, according to an interview with Oneida County investigators, appearing on the FOX Television program, ‘America’s Most Wanted’ (AMW) on Saturday night.

 It was a shocking case that frightened an entire community in 1985.

Kimberly Simon, 16, walked 2 miles on Sept. 19, 1985, to meet a friend at the local middle school in Whitestown.  The next day, police discovered her badly beaten, sexually assaulted body less than a mile from her home.

The murder of the Whitesboro junior back in 1985 has been reopened since the man believed to be the murderer, Steven Barnes, was released from prison in September of 2008 following 20 years in a maximum security prison.  Barnes was freed after DNA evidence cleared his name following an investigation by the Innocence Project, a group which works to free wrongly convicted people serving time in prison.

‘America’s Most Wanted’ spent the entire hour show focusing on the case. The show started with the murder and conviction, continued through the release of Steven Barnes and now to the current Oneida County District Attorney’s investigation, which has uncovered new leads and mistakes made during the original investigation.

“We believe the original investigators talked to, interviewed to, met with…the individuals responsible for killing Kim,” said Investigator Richard Ferrucci to AMW.

Unfortunately, investigators back in 1985 focused in the wrong direction.

One witness said he lied to police when he said he saw Simon get into Barnes’ vehicle on the night of the murder.  The program’s reenactment shows the witness claiming he was pressured by police to say he witnessed Barnes so he lied in order to avoid getting into trouble himself.

Now, 23 years later, in order to solve the case, Ferrucci said they would have to place themselves back into 1985 and figure out what was going on during that time.

The investigation led to an unlikely group of five local Satan worshipers, who would perform rituals at a popular youth ‘hang-out’ known as “Three Bears” in New York Mills, along the Sauquoit Creek. 

Ferrucci said that an individual had reported that 15-20 teens, including Kimberly, attended a party at ‘Three Bears’ on Friday the 13^th, a week before her death.  He said that nearly 20 leads pointed towards this party and the group of five people thought to be the organizers.

Witness accounts, according to the program, placed Kimberly Simon one week later at one of these rituals on September 18, 1985.  During the reenactment, one female witness said she saw Simon at the ritual and she appeared to have been drugged. 

“We’re hoping to reach the people who have that pertinent information we need,” said Ferrucci.

“We believe 50 percent of the right people have come forward, we want the rest.” he said.

New Details Investigators are looking into

•A female by the name of Allison Scranton who attended New Hartford High School until 1983

 She was believed to have been living in West Utica, but may now be deceased

•Anyone having any information into the five members of this group that held satanic rituals

•Information about Kimberly’s body being moved from the scene of the crime

If anyone has information about Kimberly, the rituals, parties at ‘Three Bears,’ or any people attending these rituals, they are asked to contact America’s Most Wanted at 1-800-CRIME TV or the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office.

View more details from America's Most Wanted here