WEST PALM BEACH — A second suspect arrested in the slaying of a West Palm Beach couple in their home last week told police he was acting as the lookout during the botched robbery.
Police say Michael Simmons, 18, confessed to his role in the deaths of Linda Joyce Sampson, 61, and her husband Aaron Leroy Sampson, 62, and has identified a gun found in his home as the one used in the crime.
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force took Simmons into custody overnight Monday, bringing him in on a search warrant for his DNA.
Simmons of West Palm Beach was booked into the county jail at 1:53 a.m. Tuesday, according to jail records. He was ordered held without bail on charges including homicide and robbery with a firearm.
Police began looking for Simmons after arresting 16-year-old Bryant Vaughn over the weekend. Investigators report that during a police interview, Vaughn told of his plan to rob the Sampsons and named Simmons as his accomplice.
Vaughn was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, among other charges, police report.
Simmons, who also goes by "Mike Jeezy," confessed to going to the Sampsons' home to rob them with Vaughn and admitted that a gun found in his home was the one used to commit the murders, according to information released by the West Palm Beach police's homicide unit.
The Sampsons were well-known in the community. She was a baker with her own gourmet pastries company and he owned a local moving company.
They were popular at their local church, St. John Missionary Baptist Church, where Aaron served on the church board and played saxophone in the choir.
But on the night of Nov. 6, police found Linda Sampson shot dead in her home and her husband shot outside a neighboring house. He died at St. Mary's Medical Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment