The disappearance, and presumed death, of an Olmos Park mother of four has sparked speculation and observation on a national scale. The trial has been watched under close eye by thousands, but it’s been a slow-moving process. Now, the presiding judge may finally decide it’s time to weigh the guilt or innocence of Suzanne Simpson’s alleged killer, her husband.
For nearly a year and a half, prosecutors have stymied efforts to move to trial. They claimed wading through overwhelming amounts of evidence and testing delays prevented them from pleading their case of Brad Simpson’s guilt in the death of his wife.
“The state has to review all of that evidence, and we have been diligent in doing that, but the volume has made it so it’s impossible to do that by the trial date,” Assistant Criminal District Attorney Casey Sandoval said before the judge on Tuesday, January 20, which was supposed to be the final day of motions and hearings before trial.
More than two months later, on April 1, the same judge will decide if prosecutors have run out of delays. Simpson, alongside his defense attorney, and state’s attorneys will meet back before 437th state District Court Judge Joel Perez at 9 a.m. Wednesday to determine how the case will proceed.
Simpson has been behind bars in the Bexar County Jail for well over a year, nearly as long as his wife and mother of four – a beloved real estate agent residing in an swanky Olmos Park home with her family – was last seen on October 6. It’s been heavily documented that the case against the husband would be an uphill battle with Suzanne’s body never being found, despite numerous days digging through family properties, public spaces and trash heaps across city and county lines.
The husband was arrested first on October 10, days after his wife as reportedly seen arguing him and being assaulted after a heated exchange at an exclusive Alamo Heights club (The Argyle). He was initially charged with unlawful restraint and family violence charges, but his felony accusations would skyrocket in the weeks that followed as warrants of suspicious activity, text messages and hidden weapons by a friend and business partner, James V. Cotter, were revealed in warrants and court records.
It’s not just his freedom and criminal record that hang in the balance. Suzanne Simpson’s will left her belonging to her husband – a decision that would be automatically changed if he’s found to be responsible for her murder. As another attorney looks to secure a financial future for the couple’s children, selling off the family’s Olmos Park historic home for over $1 million, what happens to the rest of her assets (all signs show she was the breadwinner in the family) will likely depend on a verdict.