SAN ANTONIO – There’s a pre-trial hearing today in the case of a man accused of helping his business partner, Brad Simpson, after Simpson allegedly killed his wife.
James Cotter is accused of helping Simpson hide evidence in the days following the disappearance of Simpson’s wife, Suzanne, just over a year ago.
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Cotter is charged with tampering with evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon. Allegations claim he hid a fully automatic AK-47 for Simpson just two days after Suzanne Simpson disappeared.
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Suzanne Simpson, a mother of four and a realtor, was last seen on Oct. 6, 2024 at her home in Olmos Park.
Brad Simpson was arrested on Oct. 9, 2024 in Kendall County, initially charged with assault and then a federal gun charge. He was officially indicted on Dec. 3 for Suzanne’s murder. Brad is being held on a $3 million bond.
Authorities have done extensive searches at landfills in several different counties since the night of Suzanne’s murder, which possibly began with an argument.
In the murder indictment, it says that Brad Simpson “did commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of Suzanne Simpson, by a manner and means unknown to the grand jury.”
An arrest affidavit for Cotter indicates he permitted authorities to review his phone, revealing communications with Brad Simpson about concealing a gun in a pump house. Simpson allegedly apologized for the urgency of the request, telling Cotter, “You’re all I got now… social media is destroying me.”
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The gun was ultimately found hidden in a wall in Cotter’s home in the Dominion. Cotter has been free on bond since November 2024 when a judge drastically cut his bail from $1 million to $100,000.
The hearing is set for 9 a.m.