COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Westerville woman who spent nearly two decades in prison for a crime she did not commit is finally getting compensated by the state of Ohio.
Kim Hoover was convicted in 2003 for the shaken baby death of 9-month-old Samaisha Benson. She always maintained her innocence.
“Money can’t replace lost memories, lost time with your loved ones,” Hoover said. “But basically, that is my retirement. I lost all of that and I didn’t have time to build on it.”
After 18 years behind bars, Hoover was exonerated on Oct. 21 of 2021 when new evidence revealed the baby died from an injury that was many weeks old, not one that happened while she was in Hoover’s care. She was released from prison that same day.
Hoover later sued the state of Ohio for wrongful imprisonment. In an exclusive interview with 10TV, she said she has finally reached a settlement agreement with the state.
For her safety and the safety of her family, she won’t disclose the details of her settlement. However, she said, there is no amount of money that can make up for everything she lost.
“I had quite a few family members, even my own mother, pass away while I was in prison,” Hoover said. “I wasn’t able to go to their funerals. I wasn’t there for them in their last stages of life. It was hard not being able to go to my own mother’s funeral, not seeing my son graduate high school, buy his first care, get his first job. Those are the hard parts and money’s never going to replace that.”
New evidence proved her innocence, but Hoover is still not satisfied. She wants the case reopened and the real killer to be identified.
“I still want answers. I want to know what happened to Samaisha,” Hoover told 10TV. “That is what bothers me, that somebody is in prison for sometimes decades and finally the court system, the judge, even the prosecutor admits they didn’t do it. But rarely does anybody go back and reopen the case.”
Hoover said she can’t be angry because she is free, and she considers herself to be one of the lucky ones.
“I think that somebody who gets to where Kim is, you have to count them as lucky,” said Bart Keyes, a civil litigation attorney with the firm Cooper Elliot who represented Hoover in the civil case. “Although in her case, it has a lot to do with her dedication and the Ohio Public Defender Wrongful Conviction Project’s dedication that got her to the point of freedom. But so many people who are wrongfully convicted, they never get that chance.”
She is relieved to be better prepared for her future.
“I know that I have that peace of mind where I’m not panicking over money,” Hoover said. “One day I won’t have to work anymore, and I can enjoy my life.”
Hoover struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder because of what happened to her. She has also been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. But she is getting the care she needs and living each day to the fullest.
She said she is grateful for the help of the Ohio Public Defender Wrongful Conviction Project and now she wants to help others. She plans to continue sharing her story to shine a light on the problems within our justice system.
Hoover wants to eliminate wrongful convictions.