COLUMBUS – A Columbus woman who has spent nearly two decades in prison on allegations of killing a baby in her care was released Thursday after new evidence led to charges being dropped.
Kim Hoover-Moore, now 57, ran a home day care in Columbus and was put on trial after she found a 9-month-old girl in her care unresponsive in 2002.
She was convicted based on a coroner’s assessment that the child suffered from so-called shaken baby syndrome but a judge vacated Hoover-Moore’s conviction based on evidence of an older, undetected injury and ordered her immediate release.
Hoover was released Thursday after serving 18 years in prison.
A doctor who served as an expert witness in Hoover-Moore’s original trial recanted portions of his testimony that were critical in obtaining the conviction, said current Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, who recused himself from the case.
Based on its own review, Tyack’s office decided not to oppose Hoover-Moore’s motion for new trial and to dismiss the indictment.
“This decision was not made lightly, and was made only after careful deliberation,” Tyack said in a statement issued by his office.
Hoover-Moore’s attorneys have agreed that the original evidence was strong enough to warrant prosecution and that there was no misconduct by either law enforcement or the prosecutor’s office, Tyack said.