The Olmos Park man is accused of murdering his wife, Suzanne Simpson, whose remains haven’t been found after she disappeared from her neighborhood in October.
SAN ANTONIO — Brad Chandler Simpson briefly returned to court Wednesday morning, shackled and dressed in red jail garb. He said just two words – “Yes, sir” – when 437th Criminal District Court Judge Joel Perez asked him to confirm his identity.
The words spoken by his attorney, Steven Gilmore, were more consequential.
Five months after his wife, Suzanne Simpson, disappeared from their Olmos Park neighborhood, Brad Simpson, 54, remains jailed and charged with her murder. That indictment happened in early December, despite the fact authorities have yet to find Suzanne’s remains.
Now his attorneys are trying to toss it altogether, and believe they have what they need to make that happen.
“I think I do have enough evidence to proceed with the motion to quash now, so I would just ask for a hearing on that within 30 days,” Gilmore told Judge Perez when asked if there were any issues to iron out concerning evidence.
Wednesday’s discovery hearing had been rescheduled from February, when both the prosecution and the defense said they were still waiting for the Texas Rangers to provide reports.
“We’re expecting thousands of pages,” a prosecutor said Wednesday. “They’re about halfway done with those.”
Gilmore said he has been receiving the Rangers’ reports “as they’re completing them,” satisfying a prior concern for Simpson’s attorney.
Now the two sides will reconvene on April 22, when when Perez will address Gilmore’s request to toss out the indictment. That same indictment also charges him with:
- aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing injury
- tampering with a corpse
- tampering with physical evidence
- possession of a prohibited weapon
All told, Simpson was in the courtroom for just over 21 minutes on Wednesday.
The case so far
Suzanne Simpson was 51 years old when she disappeared from their home on Olmos Park Drive on Oct. 6, having been last seen by a neighbor who told authorities he saw Brad physically trying to restrain her during an argument. That same neighbor then reported seeing his truck leaving before returning about two hours later.
Simpson didn’t report his wife missing until the next day, after she didn’t arrive to pick up their kids from school. By Oct. 8, a large law enforcement contingent that included Olmos Park police, San Antonio police, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers started combing the neighborhood for any sign of her.
In the coming weeks, that search would be expanded to the family’s properties in neighboring counties and a landfill east of San Antonio, where law enforcement scoured for days for any trace of Suzanne. Brad was first arrested on Oct. 9 in Kendall County, accused of unlawful restraint and assault; authorities say he has so far been uncooperative in the investigation, despite pleas from his and Suzanne’s close family members.
“The devastation this has caused to our family is overwhelming,” Suzanne’s brother-in-law, Bart Simpson, said in a statement on Oct. 16. “Brad’s refusal to cooperate is unacceptable.”
On Oct. 21, authorities found an AK-47 hidden in the walls of James Cotter’s home; Cotter is a longtime associate of Brad Simpson’s, and he has also been charged in the case. A murder charge was eventually filed on Nov. 7 against Simpson, after affidavits revealed he allegedly suspended his wife’s cell phone service the night she disappeared; visited a Boerne restaurant drive-thru with a large ice chest, heavy-duty trash can and tarp-covered object in the bed of his truck; burned evidence; and inquired about the location of the nearest dump.
According to that same affidavit, Suzanne Simpson confided in her personal banker in August 2024 that they should “look for her in a lake” if she were to ever go missing. Brad was indicted by a Bexar County grand jury on Dec. 3.
Suzanne’s sister, Teresa Clark, described her as a “beloved mother” and an “incredible person.” She was a well-known realtor in the Olmos Park community.
A few days after his indictment, citing extensive news coverage of the Simpson case, Judge Perez issued a rare gag order preventing those involved in the case – including attorneys, family and law enforcement personnel – from discussing it with media and other parties.