Friends, family and members of the D.C. boating community are mourning the loss of one of their own.

Loved ones say Tracy Simpson fell off of his boat and into the Anacostia River Monday evening and never resurfaced. He was 62 years old.

“He enjoyed being down here, being on the water,” said Tyrone Tolson, a friend of Simpson’s. “And as long as he was here, I guess that was his happy place.”

Less than 24 hours after his tragic death, his good friend and dock mate, James Holley, showed News4 where the two of them spent most of the last decade at the District Yacht Club.

“He’s always on my boat or I’m always on his boat because we were always here,” Holley said. “We were avid boaters. When people are not here in the winter, we’re here in the winter.”

Loved ones described Simpson as a devoted father and grandfather known for his generous spirit and eagerness to lend a hand on and off the water.

“He’s one of the first people that I met when I first started boating, and he gave me a lot of pointers,” said Simpson’s friend, Cindy Pearson. “He taught me a lot of ins and outs of boating.”

Family members said the certified captain was born and raised in Prince George’s County and was an army veteran who spent the last 30 plus years doing what he loved. They also said he was one of the first Black captains to do charters along the Anacostia River.

“He loved the water and he loved his family,” Holley said.

Friends described Simpson as a fixture in the boating community, a familiar face at many marinas, mentor and the life of the party.

“Tracy was such a big personality and such a big spirit and just so much fun,” Pearson said. “He was very creative in how he did his charters, and he was also a chef so we always had good food whenever Tracy was around.”

There is still no word on what caused Simpson to go overboard, and while they wait for more answers, friends say they will do everything they can to keep his memory alive.

“Pray for the family and God give them strength,” Tolson said. “He will definitely be missed.”

A judge sentenced a D.C. teenager to about three-and-a-half years for her role in the beating death of a 64-year-old man last year.

Reggie Brown was battling cancer and weighed just 110 pounds when he a man in a blue coat attacked him in Northwest in October 2023.

Five girls, ages 12-to-15, joined the attack, kicking and stomping on Brown and whipping him with his own belt. He later died.

“What I don’t understand is when juveniles commit crimes like they did with my brother,” Brown’s sister Malda Brown said.

Two of the girls, ages 13 and 14, were found guilty of second-degree murder and other charges Monday.

Three of the girls pleaded guilty in the case, including a girl who testified they did it because they were bored.

A 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault. She kicked Brown a few times in the shoulder, then stood back, prosecutors said. A judge sentenced her to a juvenile facility until she turns 18. Under D.C. law, the maximum is age 21.

“This is hard,” Malda Brown said. “This is hard on any family. And it’s even harder — you know, death is hard — but it’s even harder in the way that they took my brother’s life.”

“The goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation, not punishment,” the judge said. “I know that may not be what the [victim’s] family wants to hear.” 

Brown’s sister said she understands but hopes to meet with D.C. councilmembers to change the laws around juvenile crime.  

“Because if you get bored and you want to go out here and kill somebody, they need to stay in jail for life,” she said. “And that’s what gets me upset, when you hear that they were bored and they just wanted to go out and beat someone.”

In court Tuesday, the defense told the judge the 14-year-old girl expressed remorse, saying, “I feel bad because he was just an old man … He had a family. I think about him every day.” 

The girl’s mother also spoke in court, saying, “I just miss my daughter. I know she’s a good person … I don’t think she was a criminal. She was misjudged.” 

The girls found guilty at trial will be sentenced in December.

The man in the blue coat who started the attack hasn’t been identified.

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