March 3 (UPI) -- A 7-year-old Louisiana boy with a firm grasp of baseball rules is seeking a Guinness World Record as the world's youngest umpire. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He soon shot and killed a New Jersey police officer. Im gonna kick your pansy ass!, While I was hardly a shrinking violet physically, Yo was some three inches taller and twenty-five pounds heavier than I was. The former was out on parole in 1995 after spending more than a decade behind bars in Pennsylvania. 2d 615 (E.D. Simon, a member of the Warlocks bikers' gang, was the first to die on death row since New Jersey readopted capital punishment in 1982. 'The key is whether any of this is true,' said Pennsylvania state Sen. Mike O'Pake. Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. In that time the two were together, Simon couldn't get a job, ran out of unemployment benefits and was otherwise having no luck at acclimating to life beyond bars, according to Staples' letter. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He told of guards skimming money from inmate payrolls and operating a black market for drugs, food and cigarettes that reached outside prison walls. 0:00. He stared at it, puzzled. What the fuck are you doing? he demanded. Simon and the driver of the car, defendant Charles "Shovel" Staples, are members of the "Warlocks . The mansion was located just yards from the trailer park, which symbolized the bipolar dichotomy, the odd gestalt, of the neighborhood, as well as anything. While on death row, Simon was stomped to death by Ambrose Harris. [5][21], According to some reports, Simon had a reputation for taunting fellow inmates at New Jersey State Prison, and apparently selected a convict named Ambrose Harris who had been on death row for kidnapping and killing 22-year-old artist Kristin Huggins. TRENTON, N.J. - Convicted killer Robert "Mudman" Simon was killed in prison in a fight with another death-row prisoner, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. I stood near the top of the long grassy slope behind the local public elementary school. She refused so he took . ``Its the only case where I ever wore a bulletproof vest, Lavelle said. Gloria Lynne Dunn. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez on May 6, 1995. Simon was paroled despite the assessment of his trial judge, Carbon County Judge John Lavelle, who described Simon as 'one of the most dangerous individuals' who ever appeared before him and said 'it would only be a matter of time before (Simon) would kill again. Staples was tried twice; a hung jury was the result of the first and felony murder the second. The D&D crowd just loved me. Simon could always come with the money. He had already done at least two stints at the county juvie facility; his criminal career had begun at the age of eight. Yo-Yo rolled around on the sidewalk, moaning and crying, his face bloody and already beginning to swell. . One Warlock, Robert "Mudman" Simon, was convicted in 1981 of killing a Carbon County woman. A.K.A. The Warlocks menaced the state of Pennsylvania during the 1970s, and Simon was often described as an ill-tempered and especially dangerous member by those who knew and encountered him. On may 6, 1995 police sgt. He then stabbed a fellow inmate in 1984 with a makeshift knife that was more than a foot long. Ippolito ``Lee Gonzalez, 40, on Saturday night. The major difference being that when things soured, Simon would literally shoot you in the head rather than figuratively stab you in the back. For your grave.. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) Ambrose Harris and Robert "Mudman" Simon lived in side-by-side cells at the capital sentence unit of New Jersey State Prison. Your email address will not be published. He casually smashed his face into the brick wall on the side of the store. He was beaten to death in prison in 1999.Simon's accomplice in the botched burglary, Charles "Shovel" Staples, received a life sentence -- although he doesn't feel that way about it. It wasnt the wall. Tell you what, he added, slapping me on the back. He was there when Harris murdered Mudman . 'They said, 'If you get any of our friends in trouble, you don't have to worry about going back to Huntington.'' Reads flower books? Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, was killed by Ambrose Harris, 46, in the recreation area of death row at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, officials said. The two bikers had just committed a commercial burglary. Ill be waiting for you outside, he promised. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The first bullet passed through the side of his neck, knocking the officer to the ground. Simon was a motorcycle gang member who was sentenced to death . But he might knock my teeth out. Mud killed a guy in the chow line at SCI Pittsburgh. No executions have been carried out because of legal appeals and a tradition of liberalism in the state's supreme court. I just read the Waltons very poignant very real! ``I expressed in as forceful language as I could my strong opinion that Robert Simon should never see the light of day in Pennsylvania or any other place in the free world, said Lavelle, who wrote to the state parole board in 1992 to object to Simons release. . Neither the judge in Simons murder case, John Lavelle, nor a trooper who knew him years ago expressed surprise. A dozen years later, and 11 weeks to the day after his parole, Simon was back in jail _ this time on charges he shot and killed a New Jersey police officer during a traffic stop. The Bucks County artist and recent Temple University graduate was painting a community mural in Trenton in 1992. 404 pages. At all. He slid off the ice cream freezer, sauntering over to me. He was always taken care of,' said Brown, who is now serving his life sentence for murder at Huntington state prison. So what? Mud said as he lighted a cigarette. His mother smoked about as often as mine did, which was never. "Robert Simon being released from jail just never should have happened," said Steve Sand, former Gloucester County assistant prosecutor who tried the two in court. Pattis letter reminded me about the Warlock MC gang. Simon, a motorcycle-gang member who was one of . A firestorm of controversy swirled around the parole. Who is this asshole?, Yo-Yo, Mud repeated, his inflection making it sound like the name of a disease that people didnt mention in polite company. O'Pake said the committee had hired a private investigator to probe the allegations of misconduct. It might have been the latest in a long and strange list of childhood obsessions, somewhere between the Roman Empire, the Civil War, the Old West, 1940s film noir, the Manson killings and geology. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Convicted cop killer Robert ``Mudman'' Simon was killed in prison in a fight with another death row inmate, a spokeswoman said today. "Simon"), isa health care ( provider and is the Plaintiff in the trial court and the Appellant in the District Court of Appeal. The Mudman virtually shoved me out the door. Simon was jailed in 1982 for 10 to 20 years after killing a girlfriend who refused to have sex with gang members. Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. Having a reputation to protect, he shot her in the forehead and dumped her body in a water-filled abandoned strip mine. With the permission of the parole and prison authorities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Mr. Simon had relocated to Dan Lendo, a former Graterford activities specialist, remembers Warlocks gang member Robert "Mudman" Simon being at Graterford for killing his girlfriend. Simon stated that he shot Gonzalez because he didnt want to go back the prison. While I hated the things that he did and shed no tears over his death, the fact is that The Mudman was also just Bobby Simon from the neighborhood, who made bologna sandwiches at the corner store, adopted and loved stray dogs, protected younger kids from bullies, changed flat tires for senior citizens and helped my mom carry her groceries. But Harris, a convicted murderer and rapist . TRENTON, N.J. A man who raped and killed a Pennsylvania artist and who fatally beat a fellow inmate on New Jerseys death row has died in prison. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez, left, and Charles "Shovel" Staples, right, as seen in a recent prison photo. Despite pressure from his fellow Warlocks, Simon eventually confessed to the crime and, as a result, was sentenced to death by the State of New Jersey in April 1997. Inmate hopes for freedom were now nearly dashed . Like the other 1% gangs, the Warlocks murder, deal drugs, rob, and bat the crap about of people, among other activities. The Warlocks MC, another 1% club, was founded in 1967 right here in Philadelphia. The 43-year-old Simon, whose criminal record began at age 8, was arrested in the 1974 murder of 19-year-old Beth Smith Dusenberg while he sat in prison for armed robbery. The Mudman was beefy, scraggly-bearded and ponytailed, with an ever-present smile and small, deep-set blue eyes with a lunatic gleam. Shit, who aint? Robert Simon, 45, confessed to the fatal shooting, which happened April 3 in the couple's apartment in the 1700 block of East 85th Place, Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Santini said during a . [24] A firearms expert would later testify that the weapon found near Simon when during his apprehension was the same one used to kill Gonzalez. They still have to pull over that car and they don't know what's behind the tinted window," Sand said of police work -- a world of "real threats and unknown dangers.". ``Castor is not to be blamed. Language. And he might be sipping his dinner through straws for a while. The property was owned by Marianne Mihalick, who lived with her daughter right across from Simon's trailer home at 3944 South Black Horse Pike. "From then on, if one cop pulled over a car, a second would come if available," he said, adding that he wasn't sure if directives were changed after Gonzalez's death, but it appeared that way. It was self-defense. I was in an all-purpose neighborhood deli-grocery store-butcher shop operation of the sort rarely seen anymore. At an eventual point during the chase, Staples managed to lose control over the car and crashed it into a guardrail. There was Yo-Yo, pacing restlessly, smoking one of those Winstons allegedly purchased for his mother. Smart money was on the latter. Id forgotten about them. But it did provide rich training ground and source material for storytellinga certain kind of storytellingnonetheless. In a hand-written letter dated March 17, Staples called the shooting "tragic.". All the broads loved him! That girl was a good friend of his whom he brought up the mountains to see her boyfriend. Loved the look on the sociopath and real story of his death. American outlaw biker and murderer (19541999), fatal shooting of Franklin Township police sergeant Ippolito Gonzalez, State Correctional Institution Graterford, State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, "Unknown dangers: Fatal shooting of N.J. police officer still felt 20 years later", "Jim Six: 'They shot Lee,' the officer cried, 'Get 'em, get 'em, get 'em! The gang member, Robert Simon, 45, who was also known as Mudman, showed no emotion as the verdict was pronounced. The Mudman could be one seriously disgruntled customer. He was suspected of involvement in several other murders. Gonzalez was 40 years old at the time of his death. Seems cool that some writers do come close to the people they write about ie: Ann Rule/Ted Bundy. One of the more infamous was the late Robert "Mudman" Simon who killed a Franklin Township police sergeant in Franklinville, NJ, in 1995. The Warlords would eventually merge with another group from Darby to create the Warlocks Motorcycle Club, also referred to as the Philly Warlocks. Simon promptly departed from the vehicle's passenger side and attempted to flee the area on foot whilst aiming his gun at one of the responding police officers who was ordering him to halt. He was later a Golden Gloves amateur boxing champ. He was unpredictable. You bother my cousin here again, doofus, Im gonna throw your sorry ass in front of a trolley, get it?, Simon winked at me. Harris was sentenced to death and sent to prison in 1994 for kidnapping, raping and killing 22-year-old Kristin Huggins. Get lost.. : Mudman Classification: Murderer Characteristics: The Warlocks motorcycle gang member Number of victims: 3 + Date of murders: 1974 / 1984 / 1995 Date of birth: 1950 Victims profile: His 19-year-old girlfriend / A fellow inmate / Sgt. It was believed they were picked-up in the Warlocks' trolling ground, the old MacDade Mall, but were killed when they refused to participate in the gang's "initiation rites". ', "Released Convicted Killer Warlock Charged With Officer's Murder", "Warlocks MC (Motorcycle Club - Pennsylvania)", "PANEL OPENS PAROLE SYSTEM PROBE RELEASE OF 'MUDMAN' IS IMPETUS FOR HEARING", "Gonzalez v. Angelilli, 40 F. Supp. Along with his testicles, which Yo was now clutching with both hands. On May 6, 1995, defendant Robert "Mudman" Simon shot and killed Franklin Township Police Officer Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez during an otherwise routine traffic stop of a car in which Simon was a passenger. PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Robert ``Mudman Simon showed no remorse the day a judge sentenced him for the murder of a girlfriend who had refused to have group sex with his motorcycle gang. It was a warm, sunny spring afternoon. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. #26. [11][12], Simon subsequently received a 10-to-20 year sentence for the homicide and was initially housed at State Correctional Institution Graterford, but later transferred. They described him as one of the worst sociopaths they had ever encountered. They went up the mountains to another chapters clubhouse to see one of the guys staying up there whom the girl was seeing. While on death row, Harris punched, kicked and stomped to death a fellow death row inmate, Robert "Mudman" Simon, who had been convicted of killing Franklin Township police Sgt. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. They resembled small rose petals in the wind. Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, was the first to meet such an end since the moratorium on capital punishment in the United States was lifted 23 years ago. [14], On January 21, 1993, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP) denied a parole application they received from Simon citing his high risk of continued involvement with the Philly Warlocks along with his need for substance abuse treatment. Ippolito Gonzalez of the Franklin . Get up and fight, flower girl!, I was rescued by the timely arrival of a neighbor, Mr. Carr, walking his poodle Trixie. [7], Sgt. [21], In a haste, Staples immediately drove himself and Simon away from the area but were soon pursued by nearby police officers who had heard the two gunshots on Sgt. Earl Hamner had the gentle folk of the Blue Ridge. Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. Bobby Simon should have been a high school senior. There were also outlaw bikers, drug dealers, meth freaks, gamblers, loansharks, burglars and mob guys, as well as businessmen, cops and politicians with some very creative ideas regarding money, law and ethics. They clashed in the New Jersey state prison's recreation area where inmates can play chess and select books from a library. [19] Simon continued to use drugs and associate with the Warlocks MC, in violation of his parole conditions. I notice from pictures that deceased criminal Robert "mudman" Simon bears a strong family resembelance. Ippolito Gonzalez. Other lasting effects, real or perceived, still resonate to those who were there and helped bring about justice. Even when it wasnt cool to the majority, he didnt care, he stopped it. [15] Despite this, he was classified as merely a "low risk" on parole assessment documents. Bobby and the boyfriend stepped out to grab some beer and the three perverts he left her with killed her. Simon was convicted in 1974 for killing his girlfriend after she refused to cooperate in her gang rape by Simon's friends and . Read more. 03 Apr 1997, Thu Page 3. Simon murdered his girlfriend, a fellow inmate, and a police officer, only to be later killed by Ambrose Harris while at Trenton State Prison. 'I was told if I said anything, they would kill me,' he said. He was acquitted. Simon pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to death row following the 1996 trial in Hunterdon County. Creatures made of animated mud or ooze by magical arts were first introduced into popular culture by several types of board games, mainly from the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. [25][26], On September 7, 1999, a reported fistfight broke out between Harris and Simon while the pair were in one of the prison recreational areas. Simon was a motorcycle gang member who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Franklin Township Police Sgt. Yo-Yo strolled in, buying cigarettes: for my Mom. A. Charles Peruto Jr., the lawyer who represented Simon before the board, said New Jersey, not Pennsylvania, should bear the responsibility for allowing him to settle so close to his buddy Staples. Simon took a different route in his attempt to stay out of prison - murdering a policeman. "Then he climbed on a table and stomped on his head." In crime fiction, many of those peopleboth fictional characters and their real life counterpartsarent very nice. Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, was the first to meet such an end since the moratorium on capital punishment in the United States was lifted 23 years ago. His gaze was chilling. Eleven weeks later he gunned down a New Jersey police officer during a traffic stop following a burglary. I diduntil Yo-Yo tore it up and tossed the pieces on the ground. Mudman or as his friends referred to him Bobby or Uncle Booby, did not kill that girl. Retired Trenton Deputy Police Chief Joe Constance, who led the team of detectives on the Huggins case, told NJ Advance Media Wednesday that Harris was the most evil person Ive encountered in the 32 years I was on the job.. The killing occurred 11 weeks after Simon's release from Graterford. Martini watched as a fellow death-row inmate, Ambrose Harris, fatally beat Simon, stomping his head so hard he crushed Simon's skull. Ominously. Simon strolled out of the store, chewing gum. (Amended Complaint at 91-94.) The governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey were dragged into the finger-pointing, buck passing and heated debate that fueled outraged newspaper editorials and filled airtime on TV and radio. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. In fiction and in life, people do what they do. As a condition of his parole, Simon was ordered to have no contact with Warlocks members. People, even the worst people, are more complex than that. Sludgeman, like Simon, is a likeable and funny guy who happens to kill people without getting too bent out of shape over it. The two bikers had just committed a commercial burglary. New Jersey parole officials allowed Simon to move to Williamstown because they thought Warlocks were virtually nonexistent. He didnt stay very long. As an honor to Gonzalez, two graduating Delsea Regional High School students are awarded a $1,500 scholarship every year to further their education in law enforcement. Was he? I heard someone clear his throat behind me. I grew up in a Philadelphia suburb that wasnt really a suburb but more an extension of the city, filled with city people and imbued with city attitudes. A man who raped and killed a Pennsylvania artist and who fatally beat a fellow inmate on New Jerseys death row has died in prison. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez. Simon entered Graterford . After doing so, one of the two Warlock bikers shot Gonzalez a total of two times. "That was his lifestyle. Maybe he wants to be a fuckin landscaper and hes studying on it. Previous page. He was an eyewitness to the 1999 slaying of Robert "Mudman" Simon, a Warlocks gang member convicted of killing a Franklin Township police officer. Defendant Robert Simon was permitted to play a cat-and-mouse game with the court that undermined the court's independent obligation to determine if the plea was voluntary. Simon grabbed Yo by the collar. All rights reserved (About Us). What are you doing, anyway? Simon and Charles ``Shovel Staples, the vice president of the Warlocks South Jersey chapter, are charged with murdering Franklin Township Sgt. Simon and the driver of the car, defendant Charles "Shovel" Staples, are members of the "Warlocks" motorcycle gang . Ippolito Gonzalez, 40 (Franklin Township police) Method of murder:. But even superstars have the odd off day, suffer the career-ending injury. A brief, ill-advised interest in botany led, thorough a curious combination of circumstances, to my initial encounter with The Mudman. The three guys were there with her. A place where the dialogue in the Irish bars was much different than anything ever heard in Ike Godseys General Store. Officials did not release a cause of death. And the black pistons have one near riviera beach.the warlocks call . A diner that later served as the setting for a pivotal scene in a popular Oscar-winning film. Yo-Yo was a hulking whackjob with a blond crewcut and biceps like Mr. Universe after a full tray of steroids and a long day at the gym. Simon and Staples were then taken into police custody. He was not, for reasons readily apparent to anyone that ever met the man, or even saw a photograph of him. Mudman said that he had killed the cop because he didnt want to go back to prison. The locks on the front door are shit. Hed only been out three months so I can see why he wouldnt want to go back to prison. Cat Zingano is suing award-winning actress turned director Halle Berry for damages over an offered movie role that never materialized in her . Such is the life of the 1%. was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop by one Robert "Mudman" Simon, a longtime member of the "Warlocks" motorcycle gang and a recent parolee from the Pennsylvania prison system. [13] Furthermore, Simon's trailer home residence was only a few feet from a bar known to be frequented by Warlocks bikers. Harris was sentenced to death and sent to prison in 1994 for kidnapping, raping and killing 22-year-old Kristin Huggins. In sometimes emotionally charged testimony, Brown claimed guards at Camp Hill state prison, where he was transferred for his appearance before the committee, threatened to kill him if he went public with his claims. March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. Harris had a history of attacking guards and prisoners. Long, steep streets named after American presidents swept down into a densely populated plain, a bewildering grid of narrow backstreets, before climbing yet more hills on the far side. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. A request to interview Staples at South Woods State Prison, in Bridgeton where he is being held, was declined by the state Department of Corrections and a set of questions mailed to him was not answered. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Harris was sentenced to death and sent to prison in 1994 for kidnapping, raping and killing 22-year-old Kristin Huggins. If you messed with the people he cared about, you got hurt but on the most part, fighting wasnt something that came natural to him. In order to write about those things, a certain journalistic detachment is required. INMATE INFORMATION Staples, an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Air Force with a nearly clean criminal record, was convicted on a felony murder charge for participating in an applicable felony which involves the death of a person. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Simon stated that he shot Gonzalez because he didnt want to go back the prison. The Warlocks Winchester MC facebook page which states, We are a nonprofit motorcycle club. HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 28 -- A Pennsylvania prison inmate said Thursday that outlaw biker Robert 'Mudman' Simon bribed his way out of Graterford state prison 11 weeks before he was charged with murdering a New Jersey police officer. We want to share with you the history of outlaw motorcycle clubs and the major events that they have been through over the last several decades. When I was a kid one of my favorite TV shows was, peculiarly, The Waltons, the syrupy saga of a large, loving family struggling through the Depression years in rural Virginia. [13] Throughout his prison tenure, he received a total of 49 misconducts, which included drug trafficking in addition to drug use. "As with any criminal enterprise, it's something we're mindful of.". Mudmans mea culpa: Guess I overreacted again, huh?. Lee Gonzalez during a traffic stop in May 1995. [6] He was said to have held the club title of "enforcer", and was utilized by his fellow Warlock co-founders to intimidate the club's rivals. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. 0:53. Four years later, he was stomped to death by an inmate . 'If even only half of it is true, Graterford is in sad shape in terms of its management and lack of professional responsibility.' Delivery truck drivers and out of towners constantly became lost. Professional buildings. [7] At one point, Simon had a spider-web tattooed onto his elbow, which was rumored to signify he had murdered someone. Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. He murdered his girlfriend in 1974 and was released on parole in 1995. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Your email address will not be published. He was convicted of brutally murdering his girlfriend in a room atop the Darby garage of a fellow Warlock whose testimony about Nauss proudly showing him her body, secured Nauss's conviction even though her body was never found. Ill catch up with you later! he hissed behind Mr. Carrs back. When asked what happened, the man answers: "I just killed everybody."OUT OF HIS MINDNot far from the accident, police make a gruesome discovery in the home of Michael's . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert Mudman Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. I been eyeballing you, pal, the raspy-voiced Mud said. He reads flower books!. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He spent 14 years in prison and was released in 1995. Questions were asked. Pennsylvanias parole board chairman, Allen Castor, on Thursday called Simons release ``incomprehensible. He said the Warlock walked free under a state law that requires approval from two of the five parole board members or a board member and a hearing examiner. I turned around. That was in 1999, 18 years after being convicted of murder, four years after murdering Gonzalez. Operating at the time out of what's now a bank in Newfield, Hogan said his force wire-tapped the Warlocks' phones and raided their headquarters a few times. People v. Jenkins, 421 N.Y.S.2d 934, 935 (N.Y. App. Frank Hannon, another convicted murderer, testified earlier that he believed Simon bought his parole by paying off guards but said he had no first hand knowledge.