SAN ANTONIO (Court TV) — The man accused of murdering his missing wife got a small win in court on Thursday as a judge granted him permission to have communication with one of his children.
Brad Simpson enters court for a bond modification hearing on Dec. 18, 2024. (Court TV)
Brad Simpson is facing several charges, including murder and gun charges, in the death of his wife, Suzanne Simpson, who disappeared after the couple had a fight on Oct. 6. Brad remains behind bars on $3,000,000 in bonds but returned to court on Dec. 19 to request changes to the conditions.
Rather than ask to be released from custody, Brad asked the court to allow him to have increased contact with his children. Brad and Suzanne share two minor children as well as older children over the age of 18.
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One of the couple’s minor children is mentioned in police documents as part of the investigation into their mother’s disappearance. In affidavits reviewed by Court TV, investigators said the couple’s 5-year-old daughter told a school counselor that on Oct. 6 she had seen her father push “her mother against the wall, hit (physically) her mother on the face and hurt her mother’s elbow inside their residence.”
At Thursday’s hearing, the judge agreed to modify the rules for Brad and allow him to have contact with his 15-year-old child. While Brad is not allowed to have contact of any kind with the 5-year-old, he is allowed to send letters to the teenager, with the stipulation that the letters will be reviewed by Child Protective Services.
The couple’s two older children, ages 18 and 20, told the court they want no contact with their father currently, but are willing to amend the order to allow them to contact him at a later date should they so choose.
Brad’s attorney has separately filed a motion to quash the murder indictment, claiming it is “vague, indefinite, ambiguous, uncertain and does not set forth in plain and intelligible language the offense charged against the defendant.” No date has been set for a hearing.
Suzanne’s body has not been found.
On Dec. 16, Brad’s business associate, James Cotter, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of tampering with evidence and weapons. Cotter was initially charged in October after police allegedly found a gun he had agreed to hide at his home for Brad.
