The big question swirling around the man charged with a shooting and carjacking rampage Friday isn’t why police think he did it 鈥� though charging documents don鈥檛 really reveal any potential motives 鈥� but why he was even out of prison to begin with.
Larry Simpson, 68, is facing over 60 charges ranging from first-degree murder to assault to motor vehicle theft stemming from an hour-long, chaotic string of violence up and down the Kenilworth Avenue corridor in Maryland.
It follows his conviction in the 1980s on a first-degree murder charge, for which he was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years. That sentence was extended after he attempted to escape from a prison in Cumberland, Maryland, toward the beginning of his time behind bars.
So what happened? Fast forward to 2022 and 2023, when a pair of pivotal hearings were held regarding Simpson’s release. In 2022, he applied for a substance abuse treatment program. His lawyer at the time, Nancy Forster, said Simpson 鈥渁ccepts he has a drug problem and has for most of his life.鈥�
But she argued he had strong family support, including a fianc茅e of 10 years, and that he had a job lined up. In that hearing, she said his likelihood of recidivism was low.
In going along with the request, assistant state鈥檚 attorney Jhana Bogan said the 鈥渆xpectation鈥� was that Simpson wouldn鈥檛 be back in the community. Judge Beverly Woodard called the state鈥檚 support for the change in sentencing 鈥渋nteresting鈥� and told him not to disappoint on multiple occasions.
鈥淓verybody doesn鈥檛 get this opportunity,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he rest of your life, you just need to do positive things 鈥� that鈥檚 all.鈥�
Thirteen months later, in October 2023, Simpson was back in court, this time asking for his sentence to be modified so that he could be released for good. He’d essentially been living free and unsupervised since April of that year after he completed the substance abuse program.
This hearing, which lasted just over 30 minutes, was described as a formality, and the only debate was how long Simpson would be on probation.
His attorney in that hearing, Amber Williams, described how Simpson had recently suffered a blood clot that traveled to his lung, nearly killing him. She said he couldn鈥檛 really drive anymore, because of issues with his legs, and her argument for unsupervised probation was that it would be a burden to have others drive him to check in with a probation agent.
鈥淭he threat to public safety is erased by what he鈥檚 suffering from,鈥� she told Judge Woodard. She called his substance abuse treatment 鈥渧ery successful.鈥�
So successful that over time, Simpson had gotten a college degree and five certificates as he worked to become a peer support specialist 鈥� helping others experiencing substance abuse and suicidal ideation.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my way of giving back,鈥� Simpson said.
“I don鈥檛 even know who the other person was no more,鈥� he said, referring to his time in the 1980s when he was convicted of murder.
In 2023, he only wanted to be with his fianc茅e and other family members, where he felt comfortable and safe. He also stressed how important it was for others who were still in prison to know 鈥渨e actually can be better and we can do better.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to end up on the news for something stupid,鈥� he said. 鈥淩emember me as one of the ones that came through and did good.鈥�
At the start of the hearing, Bogan had asked Simpson be given five years of supervised probation. By the time he was done speaking, she had modified her request to two years of unsupervised probation, with credit for the first year coming when he enrolled in that substance abuse program.
鈥淪impson continues to impress me,鈥� she said.
Woodard also called him impressive, and agreed to modify Simpson鈥檚 sentence so he could live free and spend time with his son and grandson on a regular basis.
鈥淵ou earned it,鈥� Woodard said.
From then on, it鈥檚 not clear what happened in Simpson鈥檚 life, but he stayed away from the legal system until Friday, when a car registered in his name crashed and bullets went flying. One person was hit and later released from the hospital. Another was injured by broken glass. For the first time in years, Simpson was back behind bars again, where he remains.
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