A former Detroit homicide detective whose interrogation tactics have led to exonerations and multimillion-dollar settlements is now connected to another vacated conviction.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office announced Tuesday that George Calicut Jr.’s murder conviction has been thrown out and his case dismissed after a review found his conviction rested on a now-discredited “confession” taken by former Detroit homicide investigator Barbara Simon.
Calicut, 56, was convicted of first-degree felony murder and sentenced to life without parole in the March 1999 killing of Virgie Perkins, whose body was found in her Hartford Street home in Detroit.
On Tuesday, Worthy’s office said it joined the Michigan Innocence Clinic and the Cooley Innocence Project in moving to vacate his conviction and sentence.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Bradley Cobb dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning prosecutors technically could refile the case, but Worthy’s office said there will be no retrial because “there is no evidence connecting Mr. Calicut to the homicide except the now discredited statement taken by former Investigator Barbara Simon.”
The announcement is the latest fallout tied to Simon, who was the subject of a two-part Metro Times investigation in July 2024 that led to numerous protests and prompted Worthy’s office to investigate old Simon cases. Simon’s coercive interrogation tactics have been repeatedly challenged in court and have already cost Detroit taxpayers more than $25 million in settlements, with additional cases still wending their way through court.
Worthy’s office said Tuesday’s decision was part of a broader effort to reexamine convictions impacted by misconduct and unreliable evidence. The cases are being reviewed by the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which is tasked with freeing innocent people from prison.
“Our systematic review of Investigator Simon’s cases are exhaustive and ongoing as I have stated many times,” Worthy said Tuesday. “Valerie Newman and her team have been consistently working on these cases and more involving other DPD Homicide detectives. After reviewing the CIU’s work in this case I agreed that relief should be granted.”
Newman, the CIU director and deputy chief, said the decision highlights the prosecutor’s duty to correct wrongful convictions.
“When the reliability of evidence used to secure a conviction is called into question, it is the prosecution’s obligation to investigate and to determine whether the conviction was undermined in any significant way,” Newman said. “Prosecutor Worthy agreed with our recommendation for relief as it reflects this office’s unwavering commitment to the integrity of convictions and the credibility of the system.”
The case against Calicut was thin even at the time of trial. Prosecutors relied on two pieces of evidence: a four-page written confession authored in Simon’s handwriting and Calicut’s possession of a stolen cell phone connected to the victim’s family. There were no eyewitnesses and no physical evidence tying him to the killing, and although DNA testing was ordered, it was never performed before trial.
Calicut has long maintained the confession was coerced. According to prosecutors, Simon told Calicut she could “help” by creating a statement that would reduce the charge to manslaughter so he could get a bond and go home, and warned that if he contacted an attorney he would be charged with first-degree murder rather than manslaughter.
Simon used similar tactics that led to false confessions, exonerations, and lawsuits.
Years later, DNA testing finally occurred in Calicut’s case. In 2025, testing conducted at Bode Technology found a mixture containing male DNA on Perkins’s purse and excluded Calicut as a possible contributor to the interpretable portion of that male DNA profile, according to the prosecutor’s office. Investigators also uncovered information suggesting the victim’s son had a documented history of stealing from his parents and that two phones were ultimately reported missing, not one.
The defense organizations credited the collaboration, along with a federal grant, for helping to advance the case.
“We are pleased we were able to offer investigative resources, pursuant to a Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Grant in conjunction with Wayne County, which helped to play a small role in George Calicut’s relief,” Cooley Innocence Project attorney Jessa Webber said.
Michigan Innocence Clinic attorney Olivia Vigiletti added, “We are grateful to the Wayne County CIU for their commitment to reviewing instances of police misconduct and for their partnership in this case.”
The decision follows nearly two years of public pressure to pursue cases involving Simon. After Metro Times published its investigation into Simon’s pattern of coercive interrogations and wrongful convictions, Worthy asked county officials to expand funding for the Conviction Integrity Unit, saying news reports suggested Simon “may have tainted many cases.”
Worthy has also publicly committed to broader “systemic” reviews of wrongful convictions, including a high-profile sentinel event review process that brought prosecutors, police, defense attorneys, and innocence advocates to the same table.
“I think when mistakes are made it’s prudent to determine how and why they were made to ensure they are not made in the future,” Worthy said at a news conference in November 2025. “I like that this review is done in a blame-free environment to get to the heart of the problem. I am hopeful that the adoption of these recommendations will help prevent future wrongful convictions and increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.”