The True Crime Case Behind Dateline's "The Devil Wore White": Sante and Kenny Kimes
Kenny and his mother, Sante Kimes
Listen to our full episode covering the background of the case!
If you just watched Dateline NBC's The Devil Wore White and found yourself completely floored by the story of Sante and Kenny Kimes, you are not alone. This case is one of the most jaw-dropping true crime stories in American history, and we covered every chilling detail in a full episode of Moms and Mysteries. Here is everything you need to know about the case, and where you can listen to the full breakdown.
Who Were Sante and Kenny Kimes?
Sante Kimes was born in 1934 and spent the better part of her life perfecting the art of deception. She moved through relationships strategically, eventually marrying wealthy businessman Kenneth Kimes Sr., which gave her the financial cover she needed to expand her criminal activities. Over the decades, her schemes escalated from organized shoplifting rings to insurance fraud, arson, and eventually holding young Mexican women as domestic slaves, a federal conviction she received in 1985.
But perhaps the most disturbing part of Sante's story is what she did to her own son. Kenneth Kimes Jr., known as Kenny, was pulled out of traditional schooling and raised almost entirely inside his mother's criminal world. She taught him how to read people, manipulate situations, and gain trust. By the time he was a teenager, he was a full participant in her operations. The two were inseparable, and their bond was less mother and son and more criminal partners.
The Murder of Irene Silverman
On July 5, 1998, 82-year-old Manhattan socialite Irene Silverman vanished from her stunning Upper East Side townhouse without a trace. There were no signs of a struggle, no forced entry, and no body was ever found.
The investigation quickly turned to a mysterious tenant who had been renting a room in Irene's home under the name "Manny." That tenant was actually Kenny Kimes, who had been placed inside the home by Sante as part of a meticulously calculated plan to steal Irene's property and ultimately, her life. Sante had even gone so far as to pose as Irene in front of a notary using a wig and disguise, signing forged documents to transfer ownership of the townhouse.
When Irene disappeared, the two packed up her personal documents and the forged paperwork and attempted to move on as if nothing had happened. A routine traffic stop in Utah would soon connect them to the murder investigation unfolding back in New York.
The Evidence That Convicted Them
What made this case so remarkable was that Irene's body was never recovered. Prosecutors had to build their entire case without a body, which is extraordinarily difficult to do. But what investigators found in Sante and Kenny's possession was damning.
A black bag recovered from their belongings contained Irene's personal documents, syringes, and drugs associated with incapacitation. Even more significant were Sante's detailed personal journals, meticulous records outlining her plans, contingencies, and methods for handling anyone who became a liability. Those journals made it clear that Irene's murder was premeditated and part of a long-standing pattern of behavior that had already claimed multiple other victims.
The combination of physical evidence, documented planning, and witness testimony was enough. Despite the absence of a body, both Sante and Kenny were convicted of murder. Sante died in prison in 2014. Kenny remains incarcerated today.
A Pattern of Victims
What Dateline's The Devil Wore White may only scratch the surface of is just how many victims Sante and Kenny left behind. Irene Silverman was not their first. The list of people who crossed their path and paid a devastating price includes Elmer Holmgren, an attorney who knew too much about Sante's earlier insurance fraud; Syed Bilal Ahmed, a Bahamian banker who began asking uncomfortable questions about their offshore accounts; and David Kazdin, a personal acquaintance who confronted Sante after discovering his identity had been used for a fraudulent loan of approximately $280,000.
This was not a case of two people who snapped. This was a decades-long criminal enterprise run by a mother who groomed her own son to be her partner in crime.
Listen to the Full Episode
We covered the complete story of Sante and Kenny Kimes on Moms and Mysteries, including the full timeline of their crimes, the investigation into Irene's disappearance, the interrogations, and the trial. If Dateline left you wanting more, this episode is for you.
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