Barbara Simon, the retired Detroit homicide detective nicknamed "The Closer," is facing renewed scrutiny after at least six murder convictions connected to her work were overturned or voided amid findings of coercion, fabrication, and false statements.
The latest reversals came in March and April 2026, when courts and prosecutors moved to free men whose cases were tied to Simon's interrogations and witness handling.
Simon spent about two decades as a homicide investigator with the Detroit Police Department and gained a reputation for solving difficult murder cases, according to CNN.
That reputation later turned on her, as defense lawyers, exonerees, and innocence advocates said her tactics helped send innocent Black men to prison for years. CNN reported that Simon has not been charged with a crime, but many of her earlier cases are now under review, and more exonerations are expected.
One of the most recent cases involved George Calicut Jr., who was freed in March after more than 25 years in prison for a 1999 murder conviction.
Prosecutors acknowledged that his confession was coerced, and court records said Simon wrote the statement before Calicut signed it. There were no eyewitnesses or physical evidence linking him to the killing, according to the AP and other reports.
Another man, Roy Blackmon, was released in March after serving nearly 30 years on a murder conviction that prosecutors and defense lawyers said depended on coerced witness statements tied to Simon, WSLS reported.
Metro Times reported that investigators found no physical evidence tying Blackmon to the shooting and that one witness said police threatened to charge her as an accessory if she did not implicate him. The publication said the witness also testified that Simon wrote the statement later used in court.
The controversy has already cost Detroit taxpayers millions of dollars in settlements, according to CNN and Metro Times. CNN reported that two exonerated men received $8 million each and that related cases have led to extensive financial exposure for the city. Metro Times said the known lawsuits tied to Simon had cost about $25 million as of September 2025.
Reports say Simon's methods included isolating suspects for long periods, denying access to lawyers or phones, and pressuring people to sign statements she drafted. In one account described by CNN, Simon allegedly threatened a suspect with life in prison and used a polygraph to push him toward a confession.
Attorneys now say they are reviewing more cases from the period when Simon was active, and advocates are pressing for a broader investigation into how many convictions may have been affected, as per Metro Times.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
