Husband of missing Texas real estate agent denies ‘ludicrous’ charges against him: lawyer
As the search for missing Texas mom of four Suzanne Simpson continues, an attorney representing her husband Brad Simpson has spoken out on the charges against him.
As the search for missing Texas mom of four Suzanne Simpson continues, an attorney representing her husband, Brad Simpson, has called the charges against him "ludicrous."
Suzanne Simpson, a 51-year-old luxury real estate agent, has been missing for over two weeks. She disappeared on Oct. 6 after reportedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in Olmos Park, in the San Antonio area.
Steven Gilmore, Brad Simpson's court-appointed attorney, said he is being held in administrative segregation and is confined to his cell at least 23 hours a day, San Antonio Express-News reported.
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Gilmore told the outlet that Brad Simpson intends to plead not guilty. Gilmore called the case against Simpson "theater to incapacitate him – to keep him in custody."
On Sunday night, Oct. 6, there was a "disturbance" between the Simpsons at the Argyle, a club in the San Antonio area, Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said at a previous press conference.
A neighbor told police he allegedly saw Brad and Suzanne physically fighting each other that night and later heard screams coming from a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest affidavit.
The neighbor observed that "Ms. Simpson was attempting to get away from Mr. Simpson's grasp as he tried to pull her downwards," the report continued. About an hour later, the neighbor reportedly saw Brad Simpson’s black GMC pickup drive off and return an hour or two later.
Gilmore told the San Antonio Express-News that the neighbor was not credible.
"That doesn't make any sense," he said. "If he was invested enough to get out of his house with a flashlight and follow them into the woods, then he's the kind of person that would be invested enough to then call the police, which he doesn't do. And not only does he not call the police, he doesn't even talk to the police. Once it becomes public knowledge that Suzanne is missing, they don't get a statement from him until the Ranger goes and talks to him."
Brad Simpson, 53, remains at the Bexar County Jail on a combined $2 million bond for charges of assault causing bodily injury, family violence and unlawful restraint for the Oct. 6 incident with his wife.
"It's ludicrous that he's being held on the $2 million bond for misdemeanor cases that the state knows it can't and isn't even going to try to prove," Gilmore told the San Antonio outlet. "They're not even going to file these cases. And they don't want to file these cases, because if they file these cases, then all of his rights kick in. As long as these cases are unfiled, we can't urge a speedy trial."
Ted Williams, an attorney and former homicide detective, previously told Fox News Digital that "$2 million for misdemeanors is just something that is rarely, rarely ever done. The only reason that it would be done is that they are trying to keep him incarcerated while they find out, while they conduct their recovery operation."
Police have tried to interview Brad, but he has been "uncooperative," Villegas said.
"Brad's refusal to cooperate is unacceptable," Suzanne's brother-in-law, Barton Simpson, wrote in a Facebook post.
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"Normally, when a person is not involved in criminal activity, they voluntarily will talk to law enforcement," Williams previously told Fox News Digital. "But if the individual feels that law enforcement suspect them specifically of being involved in the criminal activity, such as his wife, Suzanne Simpson, having been involved in some form of foul play, then quite naturally, he's not going to talk to them whether he's engaged a lawyer or not or he's not going to talk to them."
Gilmore told the San Antonio outlet that Brad Simpson tried to cooperate with Olmos Park police and was the first person to report his wife missing. He said Brad Simpson agreed to speak to Villegas, but the chief postponed the appointment three times.
A federal detainer placed on Brad Simpson by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on a gun charge is keeping him behind bars. The federal charge is for illegally owning a firearm, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Investigators searched Simpson’s house in Olmos Park on Oct. 9 after executing a search warrant related to the disappearance of his wife, according to the document. On Oct. 10, a family member informed law enforcement officers that Simpson owned multiple firearms they wanted to surrender.
The family member recovered several firearms from a locked room in the Simpson home and then transported the firearms to the Olmos Park Police Department, records show.
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A short-barreled rifle that was surrendered to police was allegedly not registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Records. Owning a short-barreled rifle that is not registered with the feds is illegal, and Simpson faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the affidavit.
Gilmore told San Antonio Express-News he has a receipt showing Simpson legally purchased and registered the gun in question. He said authorities filed the federal charge to prevent Simpson from being released if he posted bond on the state charges, the outlet reported.
Gilmore could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sgt. Deon Cockrell of the Texas Department of Public Safety told Fox News Digital that a search for Suzanne Simpson at a local landfill ended after no evidence tied to her disappearance was found there last week. Olmos Park Mayor Erin Harrison said the search for Simpson "will now focus on the wooded areas in and around Olmos Park," KSAT reported.
Suzanne was last seen wearing a black dress on Oct. 6 at 11 p.m. in the 500 block of East Olmos in Olmos Park. She is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
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