Brad Simpson, the husband of missing Texas real estate agent Suzanne Simpson, remains in custody on suspicion of murdering the 51-year-old mother of four, and his longtime business partner was named in the investigation this week. was indicted.
James “Val” Cotter was indicted Monday by a grand jury on charges of tampering with evidence with intent to obstruct an investigation and possession of a prohibited weapon, according to Bexar County Jail records. KSAT reported.
Cotter, a longtime friend and business partner of Brad Simpson, sent a series of creepy emails on October 8th, just two days after his wife went missing and before Simpson's arrest on October 9th. He is accused of concealing Simpson's gun after the exchange.
“If you're in Bandera, can you please give me a ride home?” Simpson allegedly texted, according to the affidavit. “I don't have much time.”
Mr. Cotter replied, “I'll be there in 40 minutes.” Simpson replied, “Okay, please leave everything in the pump room, especially your gun.”
Simpson reportedly added, “Sorry to be so quick, but you're all I got, especially right now… social media is destroying me.”
Later that same day, Cotter texted Simpson: “Come here!!” I won’t tell anyone,” followed by a message that read, “You’re my brother.”
Authorities said Cotter is suspected of hiding Simpson's AK-47 in the wall of her home. Police said the gun, which had been converted into a “machine gun,” was not properly registered.
Cotter was arrested on October 21 and charged with tampering with evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon, both third-degree felonies. He was released from custody last month after his bail was reduced from $1 million to $100,000, local media reported.
He was not allowed to have any contact with Brad Simpson or possess any firearms, and was fitted with a GPS monitor as per his bail conditions.
Authorities said his case is related to the investigation into Suzanne Simpson's disappearance.
Suzanne went missing on Oct. 6 after an apparent argument with her husband of 22 years outside their home in Olmos Park in the San Antonio area, records show. Although her body has not yet been recovered, authorities believe Simpson “willfully and intentionally caused” Suzanne's death “on or about Sunday, October 6,” according to the indictment.
Neighbors reportedly witnessed Mr. Simpson assault his wife on the night of his disappearance, and later heard screams coming from the nearby woods, while the couple's 5-year-old child allegedly told a school counselor that her father had “pushed her” on the night of October 6. “He slammed his mother against a wall, physically punched her in the face inside the residence, injuring her elbow,” and “turned off her mother's phone as they were fighting,” according to the affidavit. .
On November 7, Brad was charged with Suzanne's murder.
KSAT
On December 3, a Bexar County grand jury indicted Simpson on two first-degree felonies: murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon resulting in serious injury to a family member. These crimes carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
He was also charged with two additional counts of tampering with a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Suzanne's DNA was reportedly found on a “reciprocating saw,” and law enforcement has accused Simpson of hiding it, according to charging documents and a KABB report.
“Knowing that an investigation, a missing persons investigation, was underway,” Simpson “conducted the investigation on the spot…” The indictment states that on October 8, two days after his wife's disappearance, ” He hid something called a reciprocating saw.''
The indictment also states that on Oct. 7, Simpson “knowingly committed the crime of murder, alteration, destruction, and concealment of human remains with intent to impair their usefulness as evidence in a subsequent investigation.” “He committed the act on the spot,” he added. It is related to a murder case. ”
Authorities say there has been no sign that Suzanne has been alive since her husband allegedly assaulted her on October 6, which was confirmed by her cell phone records, financial records, and family, friends and co-workers. said.
