Man convicted in 1999 double ax murder to get new trial after state failed to disclose ‘critical’ detail

2 years ago 362

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville antheral recovered blameworthy successful a treble ax execution successful 1999 volition get a caller proceedings aft his condemnation was thrown out.

The Florida Supreme Court said Thursday that Jason Simpson should person a caller proceedings due to the fact that prosecutors did not disclose that a witnesser against him was a confidential informant for the state.

Simpson was convicted successful the murders of cause trader Archie Howard Crook and Crook’s large girlfriend, Kimberli Kimbler. They were hacked to decease with an ax successful the chamber of their home, according to the Supreme Court ruling.

The witnesser whose enactment arsenic an informant had not been disclosed was Crook’s son, Archie Clyde Crook — identified successful the ruling arsenic “Little Archie.” Simpson’s defence attorneys argued during the proceedings that Little Archie had killed his begetter and Kimbler.

Little Archie had served arsenic an informant against different man, George Michael Durrance, who was described successful the ruling arsenic being an subordinate of the Crook begetter and lad and Simpson successful the cause trade.

Durrance besides was a fig successful the Simpson execution case, and the Supreme Court, successful a 5-1 decision, said Little Archie’s relation arsenic a confidential informant should person been disclosed.

The bulk sentiment said the “relationship betwixt Simpson, Little Archie, and Durrance was of captious value successful this case, and the accusation Little Archie provided to instrumentality enforcement pertaining to Durrance casts a antithetic airy connected this relationship.”

The opinion, shared by Justices Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga, Alan Lawson, John Couriel and Jamie Grosshans, besides said “Little Archie’s grounds and credibility were of important effect erstwhile we see the deficiency of grounds linking Simpson to the country of the crime.”

But Chief Justice Charles Canady dissented, penning that the nonaccomplishment to disclose the accusation astir the informant “was not worldly and did not prejudice Simpson.”

“The information that Little Archie had been a root to instrumentality enforcement successful unrelated matters is of little, if any, relevance, and successful airy of the different accusation known to the assemblage astir Little Archie, would not person been an denotation that helium had a peculiar bias toward instrumentality enforcement oregon the state,” Canady wrote. “There is nary tenable probability that had this accusation been disclosed to Simpson, the effect of Simpson’s proceedings would person been different.”

Justice Carlos Muniz was recused from the case.

News4JAX contacted the State Attorney’s Office and it said it is reviewing the ruling earlier making a comment.

Current State Attorney Melissa Nelson was 1 of the archetypal prosecutors successful the case.

About the Authors:

Jim Saunders

Jim has been enforcement exertion of the News Service since 2013 and has covered authorities authorities and authorities successful Florida since 1998.