5 chilling details about Irene Silverman's murder

Irene Silverman, a wealthy NYC socialite, was slain by mother-and-son duo Sante Kimes and Kenny Kimes in 1982. For Irene’s murder, Kenny Kimes pleaded guilty while already serving multiple sentences for a string of crimes. Both Sante and Kenny were found guilty of Irene's murder in 2000.

Sante received a 120-year prison sentence, while Kenny was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the crime.

The upcoming episode (season 33, episode 13) of Dateline on NBC will revisit the crimes committed by Sante Kimes and Kenny Kimes, including the murder of Irene Silverman. Titled The Devil Wore White, it airs on January 31 at 9:00 pm ET. The logline reads:

"Sante Kimes and her son Kenny are arrested for murder, an investigation reveals decades of crime."

---

5 key details about Irene Silverman's murder

1) Irene Silverman's body has never been found

On July 5, 1982, a staffer discovered Irene Silverman missing from her bedroom, as per Oxygen True Crime (OTC). There was no trace of her, and her jewelry, passport, and some cash were also missing from the room.

Several years after her disappearance, on May 18, 2000, a jury unanimously declared Santa Kimes and Kenny Kimes guilty of Irene's murder, despite her body never being found.

About the same, Irene’s longtime friend, Leslie Shanken, told OTC:

"The jury unanimously voted the two of them were guilty without the evidence of Irene’s body. That was the first time in New York City history that it ever happened.”

---

2) Kenny Kimes confessed to Irene Silverman's murder

Kenny Kimes confessed to killing Irene Silverman [Image via James Kovin/Unsplash]

While serving multiple prison sentences for various crimes, Kenny Kimes confessed to the murder of Irene. He revealed that his mother used a stun gun to incapacitate 82-year-old Irene, after which he strangled her, dumped her in a bathtub, and wrapped her in a quilt. After this, Kenny “duct-taped her," as per OTC.

Kenny also confessed that he loaded Irene's corpse into the back of his car and dumped her body somewhere in New Jersey.

---

3) The mother and son duo tracked Irene Silverman and her possessions for a long time

As per OTC, a bag recovered during investigations had numerous items, including handguns, wigs, forged certificates, and more. Among these items was a notebook listing many items missing from the victim’s apartment.

There was also a deed that appeared to be forged, indicating that Irene sold her 10-million-dollar townhouse for just $300,000. This was reported by OTC and revealed by Detective Hovagim, who said:

"The paperwork said that Irene sold her very, very expensive 10 million dollar townhouse for only $300,000.”

Upon the initial arrest of Sante and Kenny Kimes, an AMEX belonging to the victim and the same amount of cash missing from the townhouse were recovered. Additionally, there was evidence that the killers tried to forge the victim’s signature.

---

4) Irene Silverman's killers allegedly killed a banker

The mother-son duo allegedly killed a banker too [Image via Maxim Hopman/Unsplash]

As per OTC, Kenny Kimes confessed that in 1996, he helped his mother murder a banker named Syed Bilal Ahmed. The mother-son duo first reportedly drugged and then drowned him and dumped his body in the ocean. Despite this chilling confession, the duo was never charged with Ahmed’s murder.

---

5) Irene Silverman's killers created havoc in jail

As per OTC, in October 2000, during a jailhouse interview, Kenny Kimes took reporter Maria Zona hostage, holding a ballpoint pen to her throat. He reportedly demanded that his mother not be extradited to California, where they would face the death penalty for the murder of Kazdin. At that time, both Santa Kimes and Kenny Kimes were charged with numerous crimes, including burglary and theft.

---

To learn more about this case, watch season 33, episode 13 of Dateline on NBC. It airs on January 31 at 9:00 pm ET.