Brad Simpson, the man charged in the murder of his wife Suzanne Clark Simpson, was seen driving with a “large bulky item” wrapped in a blue tarp and buying cement after his wife’s disappearance in October, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
KSAT obtained the affidavit on Tuesday after a judge unsealed it. KSAT held an update on the case and broke down the evidence in the affidavit. You can watch the full debrief in the video player above.
>> Read the full affidavit for Brad Simpson’s murder charge here
The court document is the first look at evidence investigators have been piecing together in the month since her disappearance. The affidavit revealed additional details on Brad Simpson’s whereabouts in the hours and days after her disappearance and the efforts he took to disguise his movements.
Suzanne Simpson has yet to be found.
Minutes after a judge unsealed the warrant, two of Simpson’s family violence charges were dropped. Court records show the cases were closed after the court rejected them for an extraneous offense.
KSAT has redacted all identifying information from the affidavit, which is a public document.
BACKGROUND
Suzanne Simpson was last seen on Oct. 6 after the couple attended a party at The Argyle, a private dinner club on Patterson Avenue in Alamo Heights. Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas previously said the couple fought at that event.
>> DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES
Later that night, a neighbor told police that they heard the Simpsons arguing outside their home. The neighbor said Suzanne Simpson was trying to get away from Brad Simpson as he tried to pull her down. It appeared Brad Simpson “was clearly attempting to keep Ms. Simpson from running away,” police previously said. The neighbor also reported hearing screams from a brushy area.
Investigators told the media they believe Suzanne Simpson is dead and that her remains could be in the Bandera area. Police searched that area, where Brad Simpson’s family has property.
Here’s a timeline of events in this case:
Sunday, Oct. 6:
- The couple attended a party at The Argyle, a private dinner club on Patterson Avenue in Alamo Heights, before returning to their home, which they share with their two children. Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said the couple fought at that event.
- Brad Simpson claimed that his wife lost her cell phone while at an H-E-B. Minutes after leaving the party, Suzanne Simpson is seen at an H-E-B with her young daughter, according to an affidavit.
- After leaving H-E-B at 9:15 p.m., Suzanne Simpson called a family friend and went to their house. Around 9:16 p.m., she also called her mother to say that Brad Simpson had just assaulted her.
- Authorities later learned that Suzanne Simpson’s cellphone was suspended “at the request of the subscriber” at around 9:16 p.m. on Oct. 6, contradicting Brad Simpson’s initial statements that she lost her phone at an H-E-B, the affidavit states.
- It is unclear when Suzanne Simpson returned from her friend’s home.
- A neighbor told police that between 10-11 p.m., he heard an argument outside his bedroom window that became louder and “seemed closer to his window.” When the neighbor looked out his window, he saw the Simpsons in a physical altercation, an arrest warrant affidavit stated. He said Suzanne Clark Simpson was trying to get away from Brad Simpson as he tried to pull her down. It appeared Brad Simpson “was clearly attempting to keep Ms. Simpson from running away,” the neighbor told authorities, according to the affidavit.
- The neighbor told authorities he last saw the couple heading westbound. The neighbor went outside to investigate, and a short time later, he heard two to three screams from a brushy area east of his home, the affidavit states.
- About an hour later, the neighbor saw Brad Simpson start his black GMC pickup truck and leave his house. The neighbor told authorities he saw Brad Simpson return one to two hours later. The neighbor did not call the police but told them the account when he was questioned at a later date.
Monday, Oct. 7:
- The last activity on Suzanne Simpson’s phone was around 7:15 a.m., according to police. The coordinates showed the phone was in a business parking lot in Olmos Park.
- Brad Simpson’s murder warrant states that on the morning of Oct. 7, he dropped off his young child at school and the bed of his truck contained at least two white trash bags and a large ice chest.
- Around 9:15 a.m., Brad Simpson went to a Whataburger in Boerne, and the bed of his truck contained three white trash bags, a large heavy-duty trash can, an ice chest and a large, bulky item wrapped and secured in a blue tarp, the affidavit states.
- Around 9:53 a.m., geolocation data pointed Brad Simpson at a Home Depot in Boerne, where video surveillance showed he purchased two bags of cement, a construction bucket with a lid, a box of 32-ounce heavy-duty trash bags, one bottle of Clorox disinfectant spray and insect repellent, according to the affidavit.
- While in the parking lot of the Home Depot, he asked a man for directions to the nearest dump in Boerne, the affidavit states.
- After leaving the store, Brad Simpson intentionally placed his phone in “lock down” mode after he spoke with the man in the parking lot, the affidavit states.
- At some point, Brad Simpson’s truck was seen leaving the waste site in Boerne. He then headed to a gas station in Boerne and bought two one-gallon jugs of water, according to the affidavit.
- Surveillance footage showed the trash bags were no longer in the bed of the truck, but he still had the blue tarp, firewood rack and trash can. He had also changed his shoes from sandals to cowboy boots, the affidavit added.
- After he left the gas station, he headed westbound from Boerne in Kendall County to Bandera County, the affidavit states.
- Around 1:41 p.m., a license plate reader captured Brad Simpson’s truck heading back to Kendall County. At that time, the blue tarp was no longer visible in the bed of his truck, with the fire rack repositioned, according to the affidavit.
- At 3 p.m., a school where the Simpson’s children are students called Brad Simpson and advised him that their child had not been picked up, the affidavit from Oct. 9 states. Suzanne Simpson typically picks up their child from school, Brad Simpson told police, according to the affidavit.
- Around 3:30 p.m., Brad Simpson arrived to pick up his child and the bed of his truck did not contain the firewood rack, surveillance video showed. He did have a heavy-duty trash can and ice chest at that time, according to an affidavit from Nov. 12.
- At 4:10 p.m., Brad Simpson went to a car wash and cleaned the inside of his truck, the affidavit states. The video showed “dried cement splashes” near the rear passenger compartment and bed. Only the ice chest was visible inside the bed of the truck.
- On the night of Oct. 7, a friend of Suzanne Simpson called Brad Simpson about concerns about her disappearance. At that time, he had not yet called the police or 911. He had also told authorities he saw his wife on the morning of Oct. 7 as he was leaving to drop off his young child at school. Her friend ended up calling the police at around 9:57 p.m. on Oct. 6.
- Around 10 p.m., Brad Simpson reported his wife missing.
>> Read the full timeline in this article
Domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is a long list of resources on KSAT’s Domestic Violence page which includes a breakdown of what abuse is, and how it builds gradually.
If you are in crisis, you can:
- call or text 911
- call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233
- call the local Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the shelter (Crisis Number: 210-733-8810, Programs and Administration: 210-930-3669)
- call the Bexar County Family Justice Center at 210-631-0100.
