John Jefferson
Brad Simpson, the husband of missing Texas mom Suzanne Simpson, has been charged with murder in his wife’s case, a Bexar County official confirmed with Fox News Digital.
The 51-year-old mother of four and luxury real estate agent has been missing for over a month, and her husband had been charged with several offenses, which have kept him behind bars, leading up to Thursday’s murder charge.
Brad Simpson’s murder charge along with his previous charges for prohibited weapons, evidence tampering, unlawful restraint and bodily injury to a family member add up to a $5 million bond.
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Investigators have not found Suzanne Simpson’s body but have enough evidence to charge Brad Simpson, 53, and he was taken out of jail for questioning by Texas rangers on Thursday, a source told KSAT.
“It is heartbreaking, but it brings our family some peace to know that authorities have gathered sufficient evidence to feel confident in moving forward with charges,” Brad Simpson’s brother Barton Simpson told the outlet in a statement.
“This also helps us to come to terms with the reality that Suzanne is no longer with us, allowing us to begin a difficult grieving process and focus on rebuilding our lives, especially for the sake of the children and our extended family. We remain appreciative to all law enforcement involved for their professionalism in dealing with this situation.”
Authorities have searched extensively for Suzanne, including sweeps of Olmos Park, surrounding wooded areas, and a landfill in southeast Bexar County.
Suzanne Simpson’s mother, Barbara Clark, previously said that she does not believe her daughter is alive, News 4 San Antonio reported.
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Suzanne Simpson disappeared on Oct. 6 after allegedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in Olmos Park, in the San Antonio area.
A neighbor told police he saw Brad and Suzanne fighting each other on the night of Oct. 6 and later heard screams coming from a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital. 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.
The couple’s youngest child told school staff that her parents had been fighting, and that her father had struck her mother in the face and possibly pushed her into a wall, and he had taken away her cellphone, according to the affidavit.
“My mom was a victim of abuse from my father,” their daughter Chandler Simpson, 20, wrote on Instagram. “My father took my mother’s life in a state of rage and control,” San Antonio Express-News reported.
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James “Val” Cotter, Brad Simpson’s longtime friend and business partner, is accused of hiding Brad’s gun after Brad had sent him a series of ominous texts just days after his wife went missing, the outlet reported.
Cotter was arrested on Oct. 21 and charged with tampering with evidence and possessing a prohibited weapon, both third-degree felonies. Authorities have said his case is related to the investigation of Suzanne Simpson’s disappearance.
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Prior to the murder charge, Brad Simpson’s attorney Steven Gilmore reportedly called the charges against his client “ludicrous,” saying the case against Simpson was a “theater to incapacitate him – to keep him in custody.”
Gilmore did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
According to the County Magistrate Clerk, the arrest affidavit is sealed for 30 days, News 4 San Antonio reported.
Brad Simpson’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday Nov. 13.
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