A 22-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to life in prison Monday after pleading guilty to a wave of violence in May 2014 that included the fatal shootings of two people and a car crash that killed a 12-year-old girl.
On the first scheduled day of his trial, Kevin Simpson entered an Alford plea, which allows defendants to accept a plea offer while maintaining their innocence. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and automobile manslaughter.
Simpson told Circuit Judge Stephen J. Sfekas that he was grudgingly pleading guilty.
"I'm taking a plea because my mom thinks it's best," Simpson said. "I don't, but she do."
He apologized to the family of sixth-grader Shanizya Taft, who died in the crash, but did not address the families of the shooting victims.
Police began pursuing Simpson after the May 26, 2014, fatal shooting of 15-year-old Oscar Torres and nonfatal shooting of a 27-year-old during a robbery. The gunman stole the white Ford Fusion in which the pair had been riding.
The next day, Assistant State's Attorney Tonya LaPolla said, officers in East Baltimore spotted the car with a masked driver behind the wheel and began a pursuit. The driver drove through a red light and slammed into a minivan, killing Shanizya. The driver then fled on foot.
Simpson was apprehended nine days later after a manhunt.
Simpson was later tied to the May 23, 2014, fatal shooting of Martel Jackson, 27, who was found dead behind a Citgo station in the 2300 block of Frederick Ave. Both Torres and Jackson had been shot in the back of the head.
LaPolla said a phone taken during Torres' shooting was tracked to a friend of Simpson's, who said Simpson had sold him the phone. The friend also told investigators that he recognized Simpson in surveillance footage of Jackson's killing.
The friend said he had spoken to Simpson, who said that "killing the girl was an accident," LaPolla said.
Family members of the victims appeared in court Monday afternoon. All declined to speak except for Shanizya Taft's mother, who began to address Sfekas but became overcome with emotion.
"I can't do it," she said, returning to her seat.
Simpson apologized to the girl's family, saying he had been wanting to do so for the past two years. "I never make too many decisions I regret, but I regret" what happened to Shanizya, he said. He also apologized to his own family.
Simpson had been charged with stealing cars twice in the past two years and also faced several drug-related charges. He was on probation after being convicted in one of the car theft cases, records show. His attorney, Sharon A.H. May, noted that he had a child and earned his GED at age 16.
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement that she hoped the court sentence "sends a very clear message that those who decide to take a life will spend the rest of theirs behind bars."
Her office noted that it requested a sentence of life plus 60 years.
Simpson's case had been delayed several times over the past two years and was scheduled for a three-week trial. He faced multiple life sentences, plus additional time for related charges, but Sfekas ordered that he be sentenced to life with the other penalties running concurrently.
Sfekas told Simpson he had "profoundly affected the lives of everyone in the courtroom," including Simpson's own family. He said the sentence would give him a "lengthy opportunity to reflect on your life, and change your way of thinking."