In a rare move, 437th State District Court Judge Joel Perez on Monday issued a gag order in the murder trial of San Antonio resident Brad Simpson, court documents show.
Simpson is accused of killing his wife, Suzanne Simpson, following an Oct. 6 argument at the couple’s $1.4 million Olmos Park home. Authorities have yet to locate Suzanne Simpson’s body, but last week, they reportedly found her DNA on a saw owned by her husband.
The gag order means those closely involved with the case are barred from discussing details with the public and the media. The order applies to attorneys, their staff, law enforcement officials, witnesses who provided statements and representatives from the District Attorney’s Office who testified in proceedings.
Perez issued the order because of the highly emotional nature of the case, its high degree of media coverage and news outlets’ public disclosure of sensitive information from discovery materials, according to court documents.
The judge handed down the order after Brad Simpson’s Monday court appearance, his first since an Oct. 9 arrest on family violence charges. Brad Simpson’s brother, Barton Simpson, also held an emotional press conference following the hearing.
“My hope is that, like I’ve said from the beginning, is that Brad will do the right thing, and come forward and tell us everything he knows so that we can end this awful ordeal,” Barton Simpson told members of the media.
Barton Simpson, who initially shared information with the Express-News about Suzanne Simpson’s DNA being found on the saw, has since been named as a witness in the case, according to MySA.
Brad Simpson is next due in court for a Dec. 19 bond reduction hearing.
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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.
