COLUMBUS, Ohio — Months after being released from a nearly two-decade prison sentence on charges of killing a baby in her care, a Columbus woman is suing the state of Ohio for wrongful imprisonment.
Kim Hoover-Moore is seeking a declaration for being wrongfully imprisoned for the 2002 death of 9-month-old Samaisha Benson, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
The infant died from what’s called “shaken baby syndrome,” where a child is shaken so violently it causes bleeding in the brain.
Though Hoover-Moore pleaded not guilty, she was convicted in 2003 for the baby’s death.
In 2021, Hoover-Moore filed a motion for a new trial in the Franklin County Municipal Court.
Dr. Patrick Fardal, the forensic pathologist who performed Samaisha’s autopsy, testified that there was evidence that the injuries suffered by the baby were weeks or even months old and did not happen while in Hoover-Moore’s care.
Hoover-Moore was exonerated in October 2021.
Following her exoneration, Hoover-Moore sat down with Jerry Revish to discuss her time in prison and her plans for moving forward.
You can watch the full interview below.