NYC Socialite’s Disappearance Reveals Mother and Son's "Staggering" Crime Spree Across L.A., Hawaii, Caribbean
After an elderly socialite vanished from her New York City brownstone, Sante Kimes and her son Kenny were arrested, revealing decades of crime, deception and murder.
When a socialite disappeared in New York, it revealed a shocking mother-son crime spree that spanned decades in a case so unique that Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison dubbed it “one of the most remarkable stories ever.”
The sensational case of Sante Kimes and her son Kenny Kimes is the focus of a new Dateline airing Friday, January 31 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC, titled “The Devil Wore White.”
“An elderly socialite is reported missing from her stately New York City brownstone,” reads a synopsis of the episode. “When Sante Kimes and her son Kenny are arrested, an investigation reveals decades of crime, deception and murder that captivated the nation.”
In his first interview in decades, Kenny spoke to Morrison from prison. The crimes led to a cross-country manhunt as authorities frantically raced to track the pair down after they were accused of murder.
In a preview of the episode, Morrison describes the story as "a tale of crimes staggering in scale and scope" that stretched from New York to Los Angeles, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.
“This is one of the craziest and most unusual stories we ever covered,” Morrison told NBC Insider. “It remains so even today. People are still talking about it. Also, the fact that [Kenny] was prepared to talk gave us the chance to once again tell one of the most remarkable stories ever.”
Kenny Kimes "didn't have a chance," half-brother says
Morrison also talked with Kenny’s older half-brother, Kent Walker, Sante's other son, who spoke of the irresistible pull his mother had on others.
“There’s probably not another son on this planet who loved his mother as much as I loved mine,” Walker told Dateline.
But while Walker said he was his “mother’s biggest disappointment,” her other son Kenny became her perfect partner in crime.
“He didn’t have a chance,” Walker said of his doomed sibling.
Private investigator Cici McNair told Dateline of Sante: "This is someone who gets what she wants."
Sante Kimes "most evil woman that I've ever met"
As the criminal escapades continued, Sante pulled the strings, drawing her son Kenny deeper and deeper into her devilish plans.
Detective Bill Cox told Dateline that Sante was “the most evil woman that I’ve ever met."
Along with Cox, McNair and Sante’s two sons, the episode also features interviews with Walker’s high school girlfriend Rhonda Martin, and Ken Holmgren, the son of one of Sante’s suspected victims.
Detectives Thomas Hovagim and Ed Murray are also featured, along with private investigator John Doty and TV producer Maria Zone.
To learn more about the criminal mastermind Sante, and what her sons have to say today, watch Dateline on Friday at 9/8c p.m. on NBC or stream the episode on Peacock when it becomes available the next day.
And for even more Dateline, sign up for the show's official newsletter and check out its podcast.
