Sheriff: Louisiana Man Who Died Trying to Hide Murders Killed 3 Wives

Fox News ^ | Monday, May 07, 2007

[Sopater]

COVINGTON, La. — A 78-year-old man who died after setting a fire to hide the murders of his third wife and her brother had killed two previous wives, a sheriff says.

Everette Simpson had served a total of 20 years for the two killings.

He spent nine years in a California prison for second-degree murder of his first wife, who was hacked 16 times with a butcher knife in 1960, and 11 years in Louisiana for manslaughter of his second wife, attacked with knife and hatchet and then smothered with a pillow in 1983, authorities said.

He died of smoke inhalation April 3. Estelle Simpson, 69, and her brother, Allen Martin, 75, were bludgeoned in their sleep.

"This is incredibly frustrating for people who spend their careers chasing these monsters," St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said Friday. "Everyone deserves a second chance, but when you start letting out cold-blooded murderers not once but twice, you've got to wonder what's going on."

Simpson was charged in 1960 with first-degree murder of Virginia Hudson, 35, in Los Angeles, and was convicted of second-degree murder, Strain said. He pleaded guilty in 1983 to manslaughter of Ruby Richardson in Shreveport, the sheriff said.

[Sopater]

Who else do we know from St Tammany Parish that is infamous?

I give... who?

[Xenalyte]

I don’t think “Louisiana is a den of inequitey that would make Sodom and Gomorah blush” information.

Oddly misspelled opinion, yes. Information, not so much.

[driftless2]

I used to be against the dp, but changed my mind after the dp was reinstituted in the seventies after a ten year moratorium. During the time the dp was not in use, the violent crime rate skyrocketed in the U.S. Since it has been reinstituted, the violent crime rate has been shrinking. I believe the dp is the deterrent its proponents make it out to be. And after reading this article, you have to take into account the innocent people murdered by escaped or paroled killers. It’s surely far greater than the number of unknown innocent people executed.

[Xenalyte]

Cute, I guess, but inaccurate, in that no Tudors are on record as having stabbed, smothered, or set fire to their wives.

[JamesP81]

I believe the dp is the deterrent its proponents make it out to be.

I disagree. The drop in violent crime is mostly attributable to concealed carry laws, castle doctrine type laws, and any other law that has made it easier for a citizen to defend himself, far more so than the DP.

And after reading this article, you have to take into account the innocent people murdered by escaped or paroled killers. It’s surely far greater than the number of unknown innocent people executed.

It's not about numbers. If even one innocent man goes to the gallows it's unacceptable. If you toss an innocent man in prison you can make restitution for your mistake; if you kill him, you can't take it back. Goes back to the principle of better to let 10 guilty loose than catch one innocent.

[driftless2]

"unacceptable"

Is it acceptable for innocent people to be killed by escaped or paroled murderers? And I highly doubt that concealed carry laws or other self-protection laws (which I support totally) had any effect on diminishing violent crimes. I suspect that many wouldbe killers were dissuaded by thought of the needle or electric chair. And obviously executed killers cannot escape or be paroled to murder again.

[Brucifer]

I haven’t lived in Louisiana in a while, but there are some damned good people living in that state. You need to go visit there. Not necessarily in New Orleans of course.

I went to USL, me. Geaux Cajuns!

[JamesP81]

Is it acceptable for innocent people to be killed by escaped or paroled murderers?

Certainly not, but herein your statement lies on problem: paroled murderers. That's something we shouldn't have in the first place. If they'd locked this guy up and thrown away the key, none of the subsequent events would've happened.

Even so, this doesn't change a simple fact: it's unacceptable in a system where we simply decide that some innocent will have to die so we can utilize a form of punishment that is not required to keep dangerous people out of society. If they'd left him in prison for the rest of his days, he wouldn't have been a threat.

And I highly doubt that concealed carry laws or other self-protection laws (which I support totally) had any effect on diminishing violent crimes.

Then how come violent crime skyrocketed in Britain when they outlawed firearms ownership? Not to be rude, but your supposition that expanded laws for self defense haven't affected crime rates is just wrong. It most certainly has, and for the better I might add. Far more than the DP ever has. The reason is simple: criminals don't fear the DP because they don't believe they're going to get caught. But they do believe that if they rob the wrong guy's castle, they'll get shot. That's why we don't have burglarly or muggings in my neck of the woods; too many firearms in the hands of the citizens.

[Charles Martel]

Louisiana is a den of inequitey that would make Sodom and Gomorah blush.

Covington, Louisiana is nothing at all like New Orleans. St. Tammany Parish is very conservative, which isn't surprising. As New Orleans changed for the worse over the years, many good people who wanted their kids to grow up in a better place moved out - to places like Covington.

Like most towns of similar size, it does have a small "wrong side of the tracks" neighborhood. Even the residents of that area are usually well-behaved, with minor drug possession being the most common criminal problem. We should all have it so bad.

[Eva]

Was the man a native of Louisiana? California likes to send released prisoners back to their home state after granting them early release.

[CholeraJoe]

David Duke.

[Bogey78O]

This guy is responsible for a large chunk of the murders in St. Tammany Parish with his 2 murders.

[cherry]

I have tried to be against the DP.....but I just do not trust our "justice" system...we let way too many people out when they should be behind bars for life....

if they ever really gave out true life sentences and if they also banished the worse of them, then I could do without the DP....

[rond]

He’s once ... twice ... three times a lady killer.

[VeniVidiVici]

Argh. My mistake. For some reason I thought this jerk was from St Tammany but he's from Jefferson

[driftless2]

If you want to use the armed citizen argument ...fine. But you'll still have to consider the idea that many wouldbe murderers are most likely deterred by the prospect of the dp. And if you want to use Britain's growing crime rate, you have to realize that most of the crime is not nearly as violent as here. Most of their crimes are property crimes. And the influx of undesired immigrants from Islamic countries has a lot to do with that growth in crime.

However I totally support the idea of armed citizens. Obviously that can affect the mind of a wouldbe crook too. But I think while that might deter them from committing crimes, I believe most wouldbe killers are deterred by the prospect of being juiced...electically or chemically.

[driftless2]

that’s electRically not electically.

[JamesP81]

But you'll still have to consider the idea that many wouldbe murderers are most likely deterred by the prospect of the dp.

I have considered the idea. I consider it to be an incorrect idea. Criminals do not really believe that they will get caught. If they did, the DP would be a deterrent. As it is, I think it has little effect on crime rates. OTOH, it is a scientifically proven fact that armed societies tend to be polite ones, which is why crime in locales where the people are able to be armed is so low.