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Suzanne Simpson murder case: Texas defense for missing realtor's husband looking for holes in evidence trove

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Suzanne Simpson murder case: Texas defense for missing realtor's husband looking for holes in evidence trove

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Texas real estate agent Suzanne Simpson vanished over four months ago, and her husband, Brad Simpson, who is charged with the mother-of-four’s murder, returned to court this week as his defense looks for holes in the evidence.

During a hearing on Wednesday in a San Antonio courtroom, prosecutors said they were expecting to have five to six terabytes of evidence coming from the Texas Rangers, and defense attorneys said they still needed about one terabyte of evidence to go through before they could move forward with a motion to quash the indictment, KSAT reported.

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Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Deon Cockrell confirmed with Fox News Digital that authorities are still working to find Suzanne’s remains. Law enforcement in November said there are no signs of her being alive, according to an affidavit. 

“They won’t stop looking,” Cockrell said. We still want to find her, just as much as her family does.” 

SUZANNE SIMPSON’S DNA FOUND ON MURDER SUSPECT HUSBAND’S SAW THAT CAN CUT METAL

Missing Texas mom Suzanne Simpson with husband Brad Simpson.  (Facebook/Suzanne Simpson)

The home of Suzanne and Brad Simpson in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 12, 2024. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

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Suzanne, 51, went missing on Oct. 6 after allegedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in front of their house in Olmos Park in the San Antonio area. Authorities believe that Brad “intentionally and knowingly caused the death” of Suzanne “on or about Sunday, Oct. 6,” records show. 

The 54-year-old suspect remains in the Bexar County Jail with a bond set at a combined $3 million. 

He was indicted on two first-degree felony charges, murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a family member. The charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. He was also indicted on charges of tampering with a corpse, two additional counts of tampering with physical evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon.

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“It’s not unprecedented that a murder case is prosecuted without a body found. . . . It is rare,” Texas criminal defense attorney Sam Bassett, who is not involved in the case, told Fox News Digital. “There could be a plea negotiation. 

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“His lawyer could make a deal for him to give full disclosure and plead to 40 years instead of life, because, in Texas, life means 60 years. Anything less than 60 years is better than the likely life sentence he might receive if he goes to trial.

“The best way they’re going to find her body is if he ultimately decides to tell them,” he added, explaining how plea deals in cases like Simpson’s may lead to a confession about the victim’s remains. 

HUSBAND CHARGED WITH MURDER OF REAL ESTATE AGENT SUZANNE SIMPSON SHOWED ‘NO EMOTION’ AFTER HER DISAPPEARANCE: DOCS

Brad Simpson appears in court for a pretrial hearing in Bexar County, Texas on Dec. 19, 2024. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Suzanne Simpson, 51, went missing on Oct. 6 after reportedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in front of their house.  (Olmos Park Police)

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Bassett said to pursue the death penalty in the state, a capital murder charge, the most serious homicide charge, typically would need to be filed. A second-degree murder charge in Texas is referred to as “murder,” which Simpson faces. 

“The death penalty is probably not going to be in play if they’ve only charged ‘murder’ at this point,” Bassett explained. “But, at the same time, obviously, a murder conviction carries a life sentence, so the stakes are high.”

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A neighbor reportedly saw Simpson assault his wife on the night of her disappearance and later heard screams coming from the woods nearby. And the couple’s five-year-old child told a school counselor that, on the evening of Oct. 6, her father had allegedly “pushed her mother against the wall, hit (physically) her mother on the face and hurt her mother’s elbow inside their residence” and also “turned off her mother’s phone because they were fighting,” according to an affidavit. 

Investigators tracked Simpson’s unusual behavior in the days after his wife vanished, including shutting down his phone, driving with suspicious items in the bed of his truck, going to a dump site and cleaning his truck at a car wash.

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SUZANNE SIMPSON’S HUSBAND WENT TO DUMP SITE, HOME DEPOT, CAR WASH HOURS AFTER REAL ESTATE AGENT’S DISAPPEARANCE: DOCS

San Antonio Police cadets searched a landfill for Suzanne Simpson. (Chief Bill McManus/X)

Brad Simpson appears in court for a pretrial hearing in Bexar County, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2024. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Authorities informed family members that Suzanne’s DNA had been identified on a “reciprocating saw” that Simpson had concealed days after his wife’s disappearance, according to indictment documents and KABB. 

Simpson’s team still has to go through evidence from the Texas Rangers as the defense prepares to try to quash the indictment.

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“The Texas Rangers are … very thorough in their investigations,” Bassett said. 

“I would guess the investigators are still hoping to find the body … but you have to be preparing for trial if you’re a prosecutor, as if you’re not going to have a body.”

MISSING SUZANNE SIMPSON’S DAUGHTER SAID FATHER ‘TOOK MY MOTHER’S LIFE’ AFTER REAL ESTATE AGENT’S DISAPPEARANCE

Barbara Clark, mother of Suzanne Simpson, departs from her daughter’s memorial at First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio on Dec. 20. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

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After Simpson’s indictment, friends and family of Suzanne gathered at a memorial on Dec. 20 to honor her life.

The private ceremony was held at First Presbyterian Church in downtown San Antonio with hundreds in attendance.

Brad Simpson’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 12. Simpson’s attorney did not immediately respond for comment. 

The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said it does not comment on pending cases.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

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Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA

The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]

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Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

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Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

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Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.

A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.

Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.

  • A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025.
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Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.

“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”

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The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.

Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.

“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.

Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.

Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report

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