Modesto man sentenced for striking, killing wife with a hammer in 2018
A Modesto man was sentenced July 6 to 19 years to life in prison for the 2018 murder of his wife, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office said.
Kelvin Lee Simpson, 55, killed 47-year-old Shannon Simpson by striking her in the head with a hammer multiple times, the DA’s office said. She died of blunt force trauma April 3, 2018, in the couple’s home in the 1500 block of Coffee Villa Drive.
Shannon Simpson’s adult son lived with the couple but was at work during the time of the murder. He found his mother’s body after other family members told him they could not reach her and asked him to check on her.
Simpson fled after the murder, and Oakland police spotted him April 5 in a black 2013 Hyundai Sonata in the 100 block of Foster Avenue.
During a standoff, Simpson tried to kill himself by drinking almost an entire gallon of antifreeze, the DA’s office said.
The Modesto Bee reported at the time that the standoff ended when officers were able to deploy pepper spray into the car. Simpson put his hands to his face and officers were able to handcuff him.
In critical condition, he was taken to a hospital, where he stayed for more than two weeks before being booked into the Stanislaus County jail.
Simpson faced several domestic violence charges before the death of his wife.
Stanislaus Superior Court records showed he pleaded no contest in November 2016 to a felony charge of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant and spent 10 months in jail for the conviction.
That same month, another case was dismissed from September 2016 in which he faced charges including attempted murder, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, assault likely to produce great bodily injury and threatening a crime with intent to terrorize.
After Shannon Simpson’s death, investigators found writings titled “in the event of my death” that detailed several years of domestic violence and physical abuse, the DA’s office said.
Simpson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 27. He waived all rights to appeal his conviction.
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
