In a stunning development, a 79-year-old man from Missouri has been arrested and charged with the murder of an 18-year-old woman in suburban Chicago nearly six decades ago. James Barbier was taken into custody on Monday at his home in St. Louis County and is now facing first-degree murder charges for the November 1966 death of Karen Snider in Cook County, Illinois.

The breakthrough in the case occurred when authorities reopened the cold case and re-examined the evidence. In December 2022, blood evidence from the crime scene was sent to a lab, where it was matched to Barbier. Following his arrest, he was extradited to Cook County to face the charges.

In a surprising turn of events, the state's attorney office released Barbier on Thursday, opting not to keep him in jail due to his age and "physical infirmity." However, he is not allowed to leave Missouri or Illinois and has been required to surrender his passport and firearms. Barbier's next court hearing is scheduled for May 21.

The details surrounding Snider's brutal murder have also emerged. According to court documents, her husband, Paul, discovered her lifeless body on the night of November 12, 1966, when he returned home late to their house in Calumet City, Illinois. Thankfully, their 2-month-old daughter was unharmed in a crib nearby. Tragically, Karen Snider had been stabbed approximately 125 times, as determined by the medical examiner.

The arrest of Barbier brings closure to a case that had remained unresolved for over half a century. Curiously, Barbier had previously been arrested in 1966 but was never charged. The reason behind this lack of charges has not been disclosed by authorities.

As this decades-old mystery unfolds, many questions remain unanswered. It is unclear at this time whether or not Barbier has retained legal representation, as phone calls to his home went unanswered. With the court hearing just weeks away, all eyes will be on the upcoming proceedings and the pursuit of justice for Karen Snider.

This arrest serves as a reminder that justice may be delayed, but it will never be denied.