Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw
Date: 06-17-2024
Case Style:
United States of America v. Everett A. Simpson
Case Number:
Judge: William K. Sessions III
Court: The United States District Court for the District of Vermont
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Burlington
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Kidnapping of New Hampshire Mother and Child
Kidnapper of New Hampshire Mother and Child Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 17, 2024, defendant Everett A. Simpson, 46, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a term of 300 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Simpson previously was convicted by a jury on April 18, 2023, of two counts of kidnapping and two counts of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle after a 6-day trial.
According to court documents and testimony, on January 4, 2019, Simpson absconded from the Valley Vista treatment facility in Bradford, Vermont—where he was required to be as a condition of his release from custody for pending charges in the State of Vermont—after being at the facility for less than one day. Then, in the early morning hours of January 5, he stole a commercial van from the driveway of a residence in Newbury, Vermont and drove into New Hampshire. He deserted the van in a parking garage in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire later that morning and then walked to the Mall of New Hampshire. There, in the parking lot, Simpson forced his way into a young woman’s car, shoving her out of the driver’s seat and into the front passenger seat before driving away with her and her four-year-old child in the car. Simpson held the woman and her child against their will, driving from New Hampshire into Vermont, where Simpson attempted to locate his estranged wife. After abandoning the effort to find his wife, Simpson continued the kidnapping and sexually assaulted the woman in her car and at a hotel in White River Junction. Simpson then released her and her child but fled the area in the woman’s stolen car. Simpson was eventually arrested after two high-speed pursuits in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, during the second of which he was driving a third vehicle he had stolen.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest stated, “The defendant’s crimes were extraordinarily serious – both in their violent and random nature. An across-the-board guilty verdict in April and today’s sentencing closes a dark period in two victims’ lives and hopefully allows their healing process to continue and provides a sense of security to them and others, knowing that the community will be protected from this defendant for many years to come.” United States Attorney Kerest also commended the investigative agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire; the Vermont State Police; the Hartford (Vermont) Police Department; the Manchester (New Hampshire) Police Department, and the Upper Darby Police Department in Pennsylvania, all of whose efforts contributed to bringing Simpson to justice.
Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Paul Van de Graaf represented the United States in the prosecution of Simpson. Simpson represented himself at trial and sentencing, with Steven Barth of the Office of the Federal Public Defender serving as stand-by counsel.
Outcome:
Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: