Nearly six decades after the brutal murder of 18-year-old Karen Snider in Calumet City, Illinois, authorities have arrested 79-year-old James Barbier in Missouri on charges of first-degree murder. Barbier, a family friend and former railroad employee with Snider’s husband, was linked to the crime through recent DNA analysis of preserved evidence. The case, which had remained unsolved since 1966, was reopened by police in December 2022, leading to a breakthrough that resulted in Barbier’s arrest.
On November 12, 1966, Karen Snider was found dead with multiple stab wounds by her husband, Paul Snider, in their home. Despite being a suspect initially, Barbier was never charged until new forensic technology provided the needed evidence. He was a pallbearer at Karen Snider’s funeral, where he was noticed to have cuts on his hands. The victim’s daughter, Paula Larson, who was only two months old at the time of the murder, expressed relief and astonishment at the progress made in her mother’s case.
Barbier made his first court appearance in Markham and has been permitted to return to Missouri under strict conditions while awaiting trial. The case, marked by decades of grief and unanswered questions, has brought a sense of late justice to the Snider family, stirring deep emotions and a resolve for accountability.
Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright
