Three people are charged in connection with the murder of Karen Simek, and the husband of the victim got some solace out of the fact that the accused killer is off the streets.
The 53-year-old was shot and killed on her way to work on Milwaukee's South Side last January. Police said Carl Knight was the one who pulled the trigger. David McLaurin and Samantha Gustafson are behind bars for helping him hide.
Simek's husband of 25 years misses his wife's companionship.
"I still come home from work and I'm like I've got something to tell Karen today," said Kevin Sasse.
Knight, 26, is accused of killing Simek outside Garden-Fresh Foods, where she worked for 11 years. He admitted he was after her purse.
"I spent a lot of this time over this past year just wondering what's he going to do next. Somebody who had so little ability to control himself under this circumstances to shoot somebody when he has no need to," Sasse said.
According to search warrants, a tipster identified Knight as the man seen in surveillance video confronting Simek.
At the time of the murder, Knight, McLaurin, Gustafson and another woman lived at 25th and National. Shortly before the murder, "the four roommates discussed the need to get money to pay rent."
A month later in February, McLaurin and Gustafson said Knight admitted to them "... that he had shot and killed an 'older white lady' ... during a robbery."
No one said anything to police until they were questioned in December.
Police drove Gustafson home and recognized a man inside her apartment. Before they could question him, he escaped.
Gustafson admitted that person was Knight. He was arrested four days later in Chicago.
"I don't know that I have anything to say to him. I mean I'm not here to ask for the explanation because there's no answer he could give that would be satisfying and just all come together and make sense," Sasse said.
Karen's husband is happy to have the alleged suspect off the street. Now he's focused on making sure he's punished.
