Simpson wanted for attempted murder
Published on December 21st, 2005
A 34-year-old Dorchester man wanted for allegedly beating a Manchester, N.H. woman unrecognizable with a rock in Stoneham last summer continues to evade capture after Suffolk County court officials reportedly set him free.
According to Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney's office, former Dorchester resident Joseph Simpson, 34, severely beat a 26-year-old Manchester, N.H. woman last July, leading to subsequent charges a day later for armed assault with intent to murder and larceny of a motor vehicle.
Already in the custody of Boston Police for a separate offense when those two charges were filed against him last July 23, Simpson was reportedly allowed to walk free from a Suffolk County Court this October after his case was dismissed.
And despite the best efforts by local and state authorities to track down the 34-year-old suspect, who is reportedly known to have acquaintances in North Carolina and several N.H. communities, police officials can't find the man.
"Authorities have reason to believe he could be in Boston or out of state. He has family and acquaintances in Nashua and Manchester, N.H., as well as in North Carolina," the D.A. spokeswoman commented, adding that the suspect is considered dangerous. "Simpson is described as a 5'11'' tall black man with a large build."
"I'm really not in a position to comment on why things are done the way the are in Suffolk County, but that is something our office is looking into," said LaGrassa, when asked why the 34-year-old was set free. "Obviously, it gets a little tricky when you have two cases in two separate counties."
The victim of a vicious beating that shocked grizzled Stoneham Police veterans, the 26-year-old Manchester, N.H. resident was found at the A.W. Chesterton Company parking lot on Fallon Road at approximately 4:30 a.m. last July 22.
Discovered by a security guard after the she managed to crawl from the nearby woods into an open vehicle, the bloodied victim managed to draw attention to herself by hunching her body over the steering wheel, setting off the car's horn.
"It was a pretty gruesome scene - so much so that we couldn't tell at first if the victim was a man or a woman," recalled Stoneham Police Det. Bob McKinnon shortly after the incident last summer. "Both of her eyes were swollen shut and she had cuts all over her body. He really did a number on her."
"I think this was the first time a lot of the people who reported to the scene had seen anything so vicious," the Detective added.
According to the D.A.'s office and Stoneham Police, Simpson and the victim, whose exact relationship wasn't specified, were traveling home along I-93 after meeting with several friends in N.H. when their vehicle started to run out of gas.
Managing to pull the car over near the Fallon Road company before it came to a halt, the 26-year-old victim was then allegedly dragged into the woods by Simpson, who subsequently beat his acquaintance with his fists and a rock, say police.
Then purportedly leaving the victim for dead, Simpson is accused of stealing a Ryder Truck from a nearby property and fleeing the area. Boston Police arrested Simpson later that day on a default warrant after he was pulled over for speeding in the stolen vehicle.
Although unsure of why Simpson attacked the woman, LaGrassa remarked that the D.A.'s office doesn't comment on the motive behind a crime.
The 34-year-old was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on Dec. 8 for the two charges against him.
Anyone with information regarding Simpson's whereabouts is strongly encouraged to contact the Stoneham Police at (781) 438-1660 or the State Police assigned to the Middlesex D.A. at (617) 679-6600.
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