Jeanne King - Dead End. The Crime Story of the Decade—Murder, Incest and High-Tech Thievery

T his book is a comprehensive, in-depth account of the criminal career of Sante Kimes, a cold-blooded, calculating killer who lived according to her own mad rules. The book reveals how she masterminded a cross-country trail of fraud, high-tech thievery and murder, and trained her young son, Kenny, as her personal assassin.

The book is based on extensive interviews conducted with more than 200 people and on my observations of the Kimeses since first meeting them in July 1998, when I began covering the mother-and-son con artist team after their arrest in New York City.

Statements by police officers; FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents; as well as statements by Nanette Wetkowski, Robert McCarren, Stan Patterson, Edward Walker and his son, Kent Walker; among others mentioned in the book, come from grand jury testimony, the preliminary hearing, trial transcripts, and official police reports of the investigation, or from numerous personal interviews with officials.

During the course of my research, I obtained previously undisclosed material that shed light on the Kimes family. Among the documents I utilized was Santes federal pre-sentence report from April 1986, prepared by the United States Probation Office before she was sentenced on her slavery and escape convictions, which described in detail her prior arrests, her personal and family history including her education, and physical, mental and emotional reactions. In writing the book, I also relied on a 31-page Alternative Sentencing Resources report prepared by a San Diego consulting firm hired by Sante, in which 18 people, from personal friends to her ex-husband, Edward Walker, son Kent, a Las Vegas psychologist, and even Sante herself were interviewed.

The quotations of Sante and Kenny come from trial transcripts or private conversations the pair had with other people who came in contact with them and heard the remarks. In writing the book, I had full access to the official record, including memoranda of both the prosecution and defense and written statements by witnesses.

The investigation into the murder of millionaire widow Irene Silverman was one of the most intensive and exhaustive probes by New York City police in recent history. It was conducted by the most experienced, diligent, and dedicated detectives assigned to Manhattan. Together with the four prosecutors from the New York County District Attorneys office, they all gave up their vacations and weekends during the summers of 1998 and 1999 to investigate Silvermans disappearance and bring to justice the pair that murdered her.

I am deeply grateful to former Police Commissioner Howard Safir and Deputy Police Commissioner for Public Information Marilyn Mode, who provided invaluable assistance in helping me to have unfettered access to the Silver Task Force and other departmental agencies investigating the case. I want to especially thank my heroes, who generously gave me hundreds of hours of their time, providing insight into how they solved the case: Deputy Chief Joseph Reznick, Joel Potter, Danny Rodriguez, John Schlagler, Tony Vazquez, and Eugene (Gene) Wasielewski of Manhattan North Homicide Squad, and the three detectives from the 19th Precinct, Tommy Hackett, Tom Ryan and Tom Hovagim. Special thanks also to former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was the Correction Commissioner while the Kimeses were held in New York City and who, when asked about Santes stay as his guest at Rikers Island, said, She was a pain in the ass.

While the detectives investigated the tell-tale clues left behind by the Kimeses, it was the fearless fantastic four prosecutorsConnie Fernandez, Ann Donnelly, John Carter and Owen Heimerwho did a brilliant job of leaving nothing to chance and putting together a dynamite case that led to the conviction of Sante and Kenny Kimes. Stella Eng, Amy Hsu, Margaret Morales, and Mary Kanigher are also owed a special thank you for their help in bringing about the conviction.

It is a tribute to Robert Morgenthau, the nations dean of prosecutors, that in his 27 years in office, he has developed a staff that has the expertise to vigorously and effectively oversee a complex and daring prosecution of this kind. Few other prosecutors would have had the confidence or skill to pursue a case that had no body, no blood, and no DNA or physical forensics. Despite his heavy workload as both a prosecutor and civic leader, he found the time to give me legal information about a case that had become a national and international drama. A special thanks also to Morgenthaus top deputies, James Kindler, Daniel Castleman, and Nancy Ryan, his secretary Ida Van Lindt, and his press staff, headed by the able Barbara Thompson, and her staff, Wayne Brison, Gloria Montealegre, Sherry Hunter, Eileen Romaniello and Julie Nunez-Reyes, who were gracious with their time and extremely supportive in digging up documents.

Thank yous also go to members of the NYPD/FBI Joint Warrant Task Force, notably detectives Edward Murray and Michael Ryan, and FBI agents David Stone, Emillio Blasse, and Wilfred Baptiste.

I am also indebted to Deputy Correction Commissioner for Public Information Sandy Smith and her predecessor, Tom Antenen; John Mohan; Tom McCarthy, the Warden at the Rikers Island Rose M. Singer Center facility; Jacqueline Thomas-Andrews; and Correction Officer Wyellene Woodruff, among others, for their insight and thoughts about the Kimeses, and in arranging extensive jailhouse interviews with them during the two years Sante and Kenny spent with the New York City Correction Department.

The three Manhattan Supreme Court JudgesHerbert Adlerberg, Herbert Altman and Rena Uvillerwho ultimately presided over the Kimes trial are all to be commended for their wisdom and their patience as the case made its way through the judicial system. The lengthy pre-trial and trial process went smoothly owing to Captain Emil Catalano and his court officers Gerry Monahan, Dawn DelCioppo, Robert Mulligan, Randy Hendricks, Nick Zubrick, Barbara DeRosa, Mike Mainolfi and Bob Schmidt. David Bookstaver at the Office of Court Administration superbly organized the courtroom logistics and made it easier to cover such a lengthy trial.

I am most indebted and appreciative for the generous time the Kimes jury and alternates afforded me, so that I could understand how they went about the difficult task of determining the guilt or innocence of the Kimeses. My deepest gratitude goes to those jurors and alternates who shared their thoughts for the book: Brenda Safford, Patricia Jones, Ella Reape, Mamie Johnson, Vanessa Miller, Robert Hernandez, Michael Alvarez, Richard Backus, Michelle Holmes, Bebe Bridges, Raymond Rivera, Julia Belladonna, Michael Brown, Joan Abbott, Alice Berick, Carol Anderson and Sharon Jackson.

The members of the defense teamJos Muniz, Matthew Weissman, Michael Hardy and Mel Sachsall offered incredible impressions of the Kimeses, and I am deeply appreciative of the time they spent with me in reconstructing key points of the case. I also owe a debt of gratitude to their investigative staff, Les Levine, Larry Frost and Cici McNair, for providing me with background information, pictures, and other documents. A special thank you also to paralegals Pablo Rodriguez, Adam Silvera and Rosario Torres for their unfailing help.

My book research into the Kimes shenanigans and their convoluted real-estate deals was clarified with the assistance of two Los Angeles lawyers, Jill Rosenthal and Bob Eroen, and I am most appreciative for their valuable help. I would also like to thank the real Kenneth Kimes family, many of whom have asked not to be identified because they are still fearful of Sante and her entourage.