CA CA - Rondall Lynn Simpson, 31, Lockwood, February 13, 1983 (Murder Without a Body Case)

[victoriarobinson642]

NAMUS:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

-

Missing Age - 31 Years
Current Age - 71 Years
First Name - Rondall
Middle Name - Lynn
Last Name - Simpson
Nickname/Alias - Ronnie
Sex - Male
Height - 5' 7" - 5' 8" (67 - 68 Inches)
Weight - 150 - 165 lbs
Hair Color - Brown
Eye Color - Blue
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact - February 13, 1983
Location - Lockwood, California
Circumstances of Disappearance - Simpson was found missing during an attempt to contact his parole officer. Forensic evidence was located in Simpson's residence which indicated he had been the victim of foul play. Following witness interviews a suspect was identified and successfully prosecuted however the victim's body was never recovered. All efforts to locate Simpson's remains have been unsuccessful.
-

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The Californian from Salinas, California - Newspapers.com

Get this The Californian page for free from Friday, August 5, 1983 Salinas Californian 8 Friday, Aug.. Edition of The Californian

www.newspapers.com

-

Paso Robles man is found guilty in murder case By MAR1ANN ZAMBO Californian Staff Writer
A jury in Salinas convicted Gary Lee Hicks of second-degree murder Thursday after little more than a day of deliberation in a murder case without a body. Hicks was charged with the Feb. 13 beating death of Rondall Simpson, 31, of Lockwood.

He was accused of dumping the body in Cemetery Cove at San Antonio Lake. The body was never recovered. Hicks dropped his head slightly as the five-man, seven-woman jury announced its verdict at 4:45 m. in Monterey County Superior Court. The 28-year-old Paso Robles man, who is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 1, faces 15 years to life in prison. During closing arguments, Hick's attorney questioned whether a slaying even took place. The prosecution said Hicks killed Simpson at the BBB Trailer Park in Lockwood, where Hicks and Simpson lived with Simpson's wife and four children. In closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Gary Meyer told jurors he was certain Simpson was dead and that Hicks killed him.

But, according to Hicks's attorney, the evidence indicated that Simpson is missing, not dead. We dont know where he is He is missing It is not unusual for parolees to be missing, said Deputy Public Defender Skip Braudrick. He argued that Simpson, released from Soledad Prison in October 1982, may have left because he was doing things that could violate his parole. Witnesses said Simpson had been smoking marijuana, beating his wife, and firing a pistol, all parole violations, said Braudrick. The defense attorney said his client was not afraid of Simpson. Hicks had taken care of Simpson before in an attempt to keep the former convict from beating his wife, Roseann Simpson, according to Braudrick. Hicks, Mrs. Simpson, her four children, and a teen-age boy lived together for several years while Simpson served a prison sentence for manslaughter. They moved to the trailer park to be closer to Soledad for Mrs. Simpson's weekly visits to the prison.

Witnesses testified that Simpson began beating his wife soon after his release from prison. As a result of the beatings, she left the trailer with her children on Feb. 12. Brauderick discounted the prosecutors' claim that Hicks killed Simpson so he could be with the former convict's wife. "She left Simpson, all he (Hicks) had to do was go with her, the defense attorney said. Hicks told you he loved Roseann but he didn't have to kill to be with her, Braudrick said. Meyer disagreed. Simpson was a very dangerous man. He was convicted of manslaughter. They had to get rid of him. He wasn't going to walk out. They wouldn't have had a moment's rest while Simpson was alive, he told jurors. Meyer contended that Hicks waited until Simpson fell unconscious after drinking too much. Then, according to the prosecutor, Hicks hit Simpson several times with a steel stake on the head and throat. But Braudrick said that neither the amount of blood nor the type found in the trailer would support the prosecutor's arguments. There was not the quantity to indicate that someone was bludgeoned to death sitting in that chair, he said. Brauderick also said criminalists were unable to show the blood was Simpsons. In fact, he said, from some areas the amount was so small that experts were unable to determine whether it was human blood