Nearly eight years later a cold case ends with the arrest of two men.
Palm Beach County Sheriff deputies say Erik Jackson and Thaddeus James murdered young mother Irma Simeus in 2008. She was stabbed, her body found in the trunk of a car.
Charite Simeus says its been a tough seven years, not knowing what happened to her daughter. "Very, very hard." Now she has some closure.
Erik Jackson, 25, made his first court appearance today facing charges of first degree murder. Thaddeus James was arrested in Ocala Wednesday.
The murder of Simeus had gone cold until just this past year.
Deputies say Jackson and James would burglarize homes and Simeus would sell the property and they would split the money.
A key witness told detectives after one burglary, there was a dispute over money. Jackson and James arranged a plan to kill Simeus.
"Didn't have any mercy for her. They did not. They were evil, those people were evil," says Simeus.
Charite and Irma's son Javon, now 11, say these arrests can never bring their loved one back, but hope justice is served.
"I will keep praying to those who killed her. They don't suffer the way I did," says Simeus.
Meanwhile Jackson's attorney says there is no DNA evidence linking his client to the crime.
"No physical evidence at all implicating Erik. The only statements are from his baby's mother who is in a dispute right now. She's trying to get full custody and so this sure will help her if she goes ahead and does something like this," says attorney Mark Rieter.
The judge ordered no bond for Jackson. Thaddeus James is expected to be extradited to Palm Beach County.
It's been seven years of investigating your murder Irma Simeus, and now your killers are behind bars. #Justice pic.twitter.com/tDRv2tsRBm
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) February 25, 2016
Judge talking about a 'controlled call' where Jackson allegedly said 'we both know who did it.' @WPTV pic.twitter.com/bOwQaKf1A8
— Christina Noce WPTV (@NoceWPTV) February 25, 2016
