Pittsburgh investigators uncover new evidence in 1994 unsolved slaying of woman

Pittsburgh police have a new suspect in an unsolved 1994 killing.

Florence Simon was 68 years old when she was “brutally strangled” inside her home at the 700 block of North St. Clair St. in East Liberty. She lived alone at the time.

George Satler, a Pittsburgh detective assigned to the bureau’s new cold case squad, on Thursday said officers have promising new evidence.

Police had not been able to identify multiple fingerprints found in Simon’s home when they first processed the scene in 1994. But a new, upgraded fingerprint identification system the police bureau got last summer allowed them to identify prints and pinpoint a suspect, Satler said.

“We re-examined that case over the last few months and were able to come up with some leads,” he said.

John Godlewski, a fingerprint examiner with the crime scene unit, said the new fingerprint identification system has allowed police to identify more than 200 people from June through December and has a hit rate about three times better than the prior system.

Through the new system and the newly-formed cold case unit — which was established through a grant from the Department of Justice and began its work last year — Satler said police are nearly ready to close the case on Simon’s death.

The fingerprint incriminating the suspect, who police have not identified, was found on a weapon used to assault Simon, he said.

“The public can rest assured this individual we’ve identified is no longer a threat at this point,” Satler said. “We believe the motive to this crime was a robbery.”

Satler said he believed “there’s enough right now” to close the case. Police have already obtained the suspect’s DNA, he said.

Investigators notified Simon’s family of their latest work on the case,.

“They are so excited their family member has not been forgotten about,” Satler said.

The cold case team has two members and will soon add a third.

Satler urged anyone who lived near Simon’s North St. Clair Street apartment at the time of her death or anyone else who has information on the case to reach out to police.

“We’re looking for any witnesses,” he said, explaining that even minute details can be helpful to their case. “They can even remain anonymous.”

Crime rates

Police also addressed ongoing crime rates during a news briefing on Thursday.

Major Crimes Cmdr. Richard Ford said seven of the 10 homicides the city has seen so far this year have been solved.

There have been 12 nonfatal shooting incidents so far this year, he said.

Police have recovered 147 firearms so far this year, and 54 guns have been reported stolen in the city so far this year. Police also have recovered seven ghost guns.

Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said Pittsburgh police are talking with Pittsburgh Public School officials about potentially bringing police officers into some schools.

“We all work hand-in-hand together and back each other up as needed,” he said, explaining such decisions would likely come from the school board and superintendent and would need to take union considerations into account.

This comes despite a staffing shortage that has left officers in the city’s police bureau working overtime as officials work to bolster their numbers. Schmidt said they will launch their next police class in July.

“We will continue to recruit until we get where we need to be,” he said. “Our officers are doing a great job, despite (it) being a little tough at times.”

Schmidt said officials are trying to ensure officers are being used efficiently, and highlighted that people can report minor incidents on the phone rather than having an officer drive to their home.