Hells Angels hit man Robert William Simpson denied release from prison, even to briefly visit family
Written decision by parole board says must remain in custody at penitentiary in Sainte Anne des Plaines until called to testify at murder trial
By Paul Cherry, Gazette Crime Reporter December 31, 2013
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Hells Angels hit man Robert William Simpson denied release from prison, even to briefly visit family
Hells Angels hit man Robert William Simpson has been denied trips outside prison, even to visit family. A written summary of the decision, obtained by The Gazette, reveals that Simpson has now admitted to having killed 10 people in all “and witnessed many others.”
MONTREAL - A Hells Angels hit man who turned informant and admitted to carrying out a double-murder in Notre Dame de Grâce has been deemed too high a risk to release from a penitentiary, even if only to visit a close relative for a matter of hours.
A recent decision made by the Parole Board of Canada explains why Robert William Simpson, 51, will likely remain behind bars in a maximum-security penitentiary in Sainte Anne des Plaines until he is called to testify in a murder trial at the Montreal courthouse sometime in the near future.
A written summary of the decision, obtained by The Gazette, reveals that Simpson has now admitted to having killed 10 people in all “and witnessed many others.”
Simpson had already served an 11-year sentence for one of the 10 homicides before he became a hit man for the Hells Angels. In 1995, he and an accomplice killed an 82-year-old woman in LaSalle while robbing her to support his drug habit. Three of the other homicides he admitted to involved Simpson’s participation in the deaths of fellow inmates at penitentiaries while he was serving sentences at some point in his life.
In 2011, Simpson and his younger brother, Shawn Timothy Simpson, 48, pleaded guilty to murdering Kirk Murray and Antonio Onesi, on Jan. 24, 2010, outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Notre Dame de Grâce. They also admitted to killing Mark Stewart, 41, a South Shore resident, just twelve days after having murdered Murray and Onesi. The elder brother admitted he pull the trigger in all three murders which were carried out for Jeffrey Albert Lynds, a Hells Angel who was part of a Hells Angels Nomads chapter based in Ontario. The murders involved drug deals that had gone sour.
The biker gang member took his own life, in January 2011, at a detention centre after he was charged with the murders. Since then, four more men have been arrested and charged in an indictment listing all three murders. The men — Glen Robinson, 54, Chris Pierce, 46, of Prince Edward Island, Leslie Greenwood, 46, of Nova Scotia, and Brian Patrick McGuire — are all scheduled to have a court hearing in March but a trial date has yet to be set. Robinson and Pierce are charged with Stewart’s murder while the two other accused are charged with taking part in Murray and Onesi’s deaths.
Both of the Simpson brothers, originally from Nova Scotia, are currently serving life sentences for the murders and are expected to testify during the upcoming trial. This is listed as one of the reasons why two parole board members rejected Robert Simpson’s request for an escorted leave so he meet with a close relative.
The request originated following the death of Simpson’s father, on July 27. Correctional Service of Canada CSC decided not to grant him an escorted leave “to attend the funeral because your safety could not be guaranteed.” Instead, CSC agreed that Simpson could visit a close relative at a later date. (The nature of Simpson’s relation to the person he wanted to visit was redacted from the written summary of the parole decision.) According to the plan CSC prepared, “the total length of the outing would be six hours, travel time included. You would be handcuffed because of your maximum security classification. There would be constant visual and auditory surveillance. You would be accompanied by the (penitentiary’s) emergency security team and police handlers. You would be offered a bulletproof vest.”
The plan, approved by Simpson’s case-management team, required the parole board’s approval but the two members who recently heard his case, Suzanne Chartrand and Denis Couillard, determined that “the type of leave represents a risk that is unacceptable to society, to CSC staff and yourself.” The parole board found Simpson still represents a high risk of reoffending “and remains concerned about the limited remorse that you have expressed toward your victims. The board also takes into account the fact that you recently became a justice collaborator and that you are still in the process of testifying against (the accused in the upcoming murder trial). You acknowledge that your safety is at risk in the public. CSC would have to put in place exceptional measures for all types of leave.”
pcherry@montrealgazette.com
