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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Dismissals were filed in all seven sex assault cases against a now former NASA engineer two days before it was set for trial.
Eric Sim, 38, was accused of sexually assaulting women he met on dating apps from 2019 to 2023.
Six of the cases were dismissed for not having proof beyond a reasonable doubt, according to court filings, and one was dismissed at the request of the complainant.
One of the women told authorities when the cases were originally filed that she believed she was drugged prior to the assault and woke up with injuries she did not remember sustaining and evidence that sexual intercourse happened. Court records say the woman contracted an STD from the assault. Another woman said she told Sim she could not participate in sexual activity but that he proceeded to forcefully assault her.
Other women later came forward, and prosecutors at the time said the allegations all had similarities.
The district attorney’s office said the decision was made to dismiss the charges after reviewing the evidence, which included five terabytes of data.
Forensic analysis of an external hard drive turned up a folder labeled “sex tapes” and several other folders with women’s first and last names, according to an affidavit for a search warrant filed on June 24, 2024. Detectives noted finding numerous videos of sexual encounters in Sim’s home.
Sim’s attorney, Neal Davis, said he was not surprised by the dismissals.
“From day one with you and others, I’ve said that these are false allegations, and we will win this case,” Davis said.
While Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare was not with the DA’s office at the time charges were filed, he said the case was handled in the “right way” and defended the decision to file charges quickly before having all the evidence.
“When you talk about multiple victims, and you talk about the predatory behavior that was exhibited in every one of these different cases, it made sense to file the charges to prevent any future victims,” Teare explained.
He said they knew they could not prove the cases and had an obligation to dismiss them.
“To get to the level of sexual assault, we need some definitive proof, and this is not in any way casting aspersions on the survivors or saying we don’t believe them,” Teare explained.
Davis was critical of former District Attorney Kim Ogg’s decision to hold a press conference and call for other victims worldwide due to Sim’s international travel.
“This case was initially filed under Kim Ogg,” Davis said. “It was done under very political circumstances where she was running for reelection, and the HPD rape unit was under fire, and unfortunately, really sadly, Eric Sim became her political football.”
He said Sim was forced to resign his position from NASA following the charges and suffered under the bond conditions that were set, including 24 house arrest and monitored web usage.
According to his attorney, Sim is relieved that the charges were dropped and decompressing from the “nightmare.”
“The next question is how much can he repair his reputation because so much damage was done to it in Kim Ogg’s press conferences and other media statements,” Davis said. “That’s really what he’s focused on, is trying to repair his reputation, getting back to a normal life.”
