David Simpson loves Jodi Arias, arrested after Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell death threats
A New York man indicted in Arizona on charges that he made Twitter death threats against two national TV commentators over their coverage of Jodi Arias, whom he claims to be in love with, told detectives he was on his way to kill one of them, authorities said Thursday.
David Lee Simpson
Maricopa County sheriff’s officers transported David Lee Simpson, age 48, of Bath, New York, to Phoenix, where he was booked into jail Wednesday evening.
According to a probable cause statement from the Sheriff’s Office, Simpson began his tweets June 11 claiming he was responsible for the killing of Arias’ boyfriend.
The threats against Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell, both hosts of shows on Turner Broadcasting’s HLN network, grew more serious June 12, the same day Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said he planned to try again to secure the death penalty for Arias.
County authorities said Simpson told them late Wednesday “he was on his way to Georgia to kill Nancy Grace.”
The man also indicated he had placed several pipe bombs in rural northern Pennsylvania, sheriff’s spokesman Brandon Jones said.
Bath police investigator Heather Barry said Thursday investigators think Simpson’s story of planting bombs is credible.
“Based on the specific details he’s provided, we believe we’re going to turn something up,” Barry said.
An Arizona grand jury indicted him July 18 on three felony counts of computer tampering and two counts of stalking.
