Four months have passed since Suzanne Clark Simpson’s disappearance, and after a series of investigations, her husband, Brad Simpson, is facing trial for her murder. Brad’s hearing has been delayed due to difficulties transferring evidence and a mass data release from Texas Rangers. He will now go to court in March.
Brad was originally arrested on Oct. 9, on charges of assault-family violence and unlawful restraint. Records reported by KSAT state that, on Dec. 3, he was officially indicted by a grand jury on the following modified charges: murder, tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse, tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair and possession of prohibited weapons. Brad’s public defendant, Steven Gilmore, filed a motion to quash the indictment.
Brad knowingly concealed a reciprocating saw while being investigated, leading to the tampering/fabricating physical evidence indictment. The handheld saw found traces of Suzanne’s DNA.
On Dec. 9, Brad was seen in a hearing for examining trial and a Child Protective Services hearing, in which he pleaded the Fifth. After the hearing, 437th State District Court Judge Joel Perez issued a gag order for the case, meaning that anyone legally involved — including witnesses, attorneys, attorney staff and law enforcement — is prohibited from speaking to the media to ensure a fair trial.
During a bond modification hearing on Dec. 19, Judge Perez ordered that Brad may have limited contact with his children, according to San Antonio Express-News. The Simpsons are parents of four children, aged five to 20. Brad is not permitted to have in-person contact with his underaged children; he has been limited to writing letters reviewed by CPS only to his 15-year-old.
The two adult children, aged 18 and 20, have previously requested no contact, though they are permitted to contact their father. Brad is also not permitted to have contact with longtime business associate James V. Cotter, who was indicted on felony charges and is suspected of having connections to the case.
During the hearing, Gilmore informed the judge there had been one definite and one potential violation of the gag order. Teresa Clark, Suzanne’s sister, was accused by Gilmore of reaching out to the media after the order. Judge Perez explained the purpose of the order and told Clark to refrain from violating it, to which she said she understood and would comply. Gilmore shared that Barton Simpson, Brad’s brother, also violated the gag order by going on a news podcast. Barton was not present at the hearing.
The trial became delayed on Wednesday, Feb. 12. According to MySA, prosecutors said they have compiled data that has proven difficult to transfer to Brad’s public defendant. This, paired with a mass data release from Texas Rangers, led to the motion to go over the evidence being delayed for another month.
The prosecution said it was expecting to have five to six terabytes of evidence coming from Texas Rangers. The District Court Judge offered a 60 to 90-day window; however, Brad’s public defendant said he would be ready in 30 days. Brad will appear before the court on Mar. 12. Suzanne’s body is yet to be found.
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Paige • Feb 21, 2025 at 12:02 pm
The lawyer for Brad is a “public defender”, not a “public defendant”. Brad himself is the defendant in the case.