(Patriot.Buzz) – Solving a decades-old cold case, a 79-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of an 18-year-old young mother who was brutally stabbed over 120 times back in 1966 in Calumet City, Illinois.
The crime occurred on the night of November 12 at victim Karen Snider’s home on Wilson Avenue and had remained unsolved for almost 60 years.
Killer James Barbier, who was recently arrested in Creve Couer, Missouri, had been a suspect since the early days of the investigation.
Interestingly, he was a family friend of Snider and even served as a pallbearer at her funeral, where police noted he had cuts on his hands.
Calumet City police reopened this cold case in December 2022 and spent the last 16 months re-interviewing witnesses and re-analyzing evidence. This renewed investigation pointed to Barbier as the killer.
Prosecutors have decided not to detain Barbier, saying, “Although the charge is detention eligible, based on the age of the defendant, his physical infirmity, and recent caselaw on this pointed issue concerning the Pretrial Fairness Act and of posing ‘a real and present threat,’ the State is not filing a petition to detain.”
He is set to be released while facing charges of first-degree murder.
During the horrific murder, Snider’s two-month-old daughter Paula was in a bassinet nearby.
Reflecting on the event, Paula tol WGN she was relieved that her life was spared: “Had he had more time — or maybe been even more deranged than he actually is — again my opinion — maybe he could have eliminated me as well.”
DNA evidence from bloody clothing taken from the crime scene has recently linked Barbier to the murder, which confirmed Snider’s family’s longstanding suspicions.
Paula recounted that her father’s side of the family had always suspected Barbier was the killer.
Barbier’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 21.
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