I considered siccing Trixie on him, but the poodle was busy taking a leak on some of those troublesome flowers. No executions have been carried out because of legal appeals and a tradition of liberalism in the state's supreme court. Writers are, of necessity, selfish. It might have been related to a school project. It proved unsuccessful and he ended up back in the slammer. 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. He was rumored to be both deranged and dangerous. A bucolic creek. 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. March 3 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man who stopped to buy some breakfast said he lost his appetite when he won $50,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Lancaster resident found guilty of giving man serious brain injuries during bar fight. to go to prison and therefore avoid illegal activities like burglary and murder. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [16], After a total three parole rejections, Simon was recommended for parole in November 1994 by a PBPP hearing examiner under the conditioned that he abstain from alcohol and avoid contact with the Warlocks Motorcycle Club. [7] At one point, Simon had a spider-web tattooed onto his elbow, which was rumored to signify he had murdered someone. Reads flower books? 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.. (Amended Complaint at 91-94.) Bobby was a guy who was always looking for a party and always wanted everyone there to have a good time. Simon and Staples were then taken into police custody. Two busy shopping centers. It's a real shame, but a certain amount of blame falls on his shoulders," Sand said of Staples when asked about his feelings regarding the man. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. You go outside and Ill follow you., Dont worry about it, little brother. They went up the mountains to another chapters clubhouse to see one of the guys staying up there whom the girl was seeing. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Gonzalez exited his patrol cruiser and proceeded to question the vehicle's occupants. Simon, grinning, said: Now Yo-Yo got a pain in both of his yos. I eyed the pay phone on the wall, but that didnt offer much of a lifeline in this situation. National Park Service: 'Never push a slower friend down' in a bear encounter, March 2 (UPI) -- The National Park Service offered some sage advice for park visitors who encounter bears: "Never push a slower friend down. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. Language. On December 17, 1992, Kristin Huggins, a twenty-two year old graphic artist, left her parents' home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to paint a mural at the Trenton . After refusing to abide the warning, the officer shot Simon in the leg which caused him to flip over the guardrail and surrender to the authorities thereafter. A brief, ill-advised interest in botany led, thorough a curious combination of circumstances, to my initial encounter with The Mudman. People, even the worst people, are more complex than that. 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. At one point, he turned around and glared at me in the nearly empty courtroom, even though he didn't know me from Adam. They are active throughout the Delaware Valley, including South Jersey and Wilmington, with Delco and Philly being their main stomping grounds. While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert Mudman Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. With a bit more hair and a little less ink, these might have been the limbs of a lowland gorilla. Officials did not release a cause of death. A place where the dialogue in the Irish bars was much different than anything ever heard in Ike Godseys General Store. However, he was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense. Ambrose Harris, 68, died Tuesday at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, the state Department of Corrections said. Heads rolled. Simon and Staples, both members of the Warlocks motorcycle club albeit from different generations, didn't know each other for very long -- about 11 weeks. Pattis letter reminded me about the Warlock MC gang. But he moved to Williamstown with the approval of New Jersey parole officials. There were a lot of good hard-working people in the neighborhood, with collars both blue and white. She refused so he took . Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lisa accepted Robert 'Mudman' Simon's guilty plea to the murder of Franklin Township Police Sgt. 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. Throughout his youth, Simon was a member of an Upper Darby street gang known as the Warlords. Simon later said he shot Sergeant Gonzalez because he did . Brown was among five Pennsylvania inmates expected to testify at the hearing in Harrisburg. Previous page. But it did provide rich training ground and source material for storytellinga certain kind of storytellingnonetheless. 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. Robert Ronald "Mudman" Simon (September 4, 1954 September 7, 1999), also known as Bobby Simon, was an American outlaw biker, convicted murderer and member of the Pennsylvania-based Warlocks Motorcycle Club. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez, 'They shot Lee!' Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez on May 6, 1995. Respondent, Progressive Express Insurance Company ("Progressive"), is the Defendant in the trial court and the Appellee in the District Court of Appeal. Simon was convicted in 1974 for killing his girlfriend after she refused to cooperate in her gang rape by Simon's friends and . The neighborhood was a bit of a bastard, as neighborhoods went. You could have a couple of beers and a few laughs with him and escape unscathed. He served more than 12 years of a 20-year sentence for shooting his girlfriend between the eyes when she wouldn't have sex with other Warlocks bikers, according to previous reports. After serving 12 1/2 years of a 10- to 20-year sentence for murder, he went free in February and settled in Williamstown with the New Jersey parole boards approval. It was self-defense. 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. [10] John Lavelle, the Judge who handled Simon's trial, stated that dozens of Warlocks bikers would circle the courthouse on their motorcycles each day in during 1995 in an attempt to intimidate the jurors quite possibly the reason behind his conviction for second-degree murder instead of first-degree murder. Read more. It was the first official 1% outlaw motorcycle club founded in Pennsylvania.The club is most prominent in the Philadelphia and Delaware County area, but they have . While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert Mudman Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. Lee Gonzalez during a traffic stop in May 1995. Asked about the presence of violent motorcycle gangs in the area, Dalton said they still exist throughout the state and region. It was something forced upon him from being through the system as he was. Bobby Simon was seated on top of the horizontal ice cream freezer. Maybe he can borrow my old mans dentures., He leaned down, exhaling Marlboro smoke into Yos battered face. Such is the life of the 1%. He was then . Lavelle said dozens of Warlocks circled the courthouse on their motorcycles each day of the trial and frightened the jurors, possibly leading to the second-degree murder conviction instead of a first-degree verdict. 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 second and final gunshot entered Gonzalez's skull behind his right ear, lodging itself within his brain. Yeah, Mud said, with a thoughtful nod. Brown said the going price was $300. The first bullet passed through the side of his neck, knocking the officer to the ground. I heard someone clear his throat behind me. You didnt know what hed do from one day to the next.. Of course, none of us wants to go to prison and therefore avoid illegal activities like burglary and murder. The two groups were apparently so familiar with each other that Hogan said he heard years later from a source close to the investigation that the reason Staples took his chance in court rather than a deal from the state was because he thought Hogan was still on the parole board. Simon, a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Warlocks motorcycle gang, was convicted in 1974 for the murder of his girlfriend, Beth Smith Dusenberg, a 19-year-old stenographer. 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. Police officers recount night of fatal shooting in 10th anniversary column. BLUE ROUTE Author Ed McGinnis Publishes Third Novel, THE DREAM GARDEN, AND A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE MIND, UNSOLICITED WRITING ADVICE & THE ILLUMINATED SUBJECT, THE FOREVER FAMILY AND THE GENESIS OF A TITLE, PERSEVERANCE, PERSISTENCE AND THE PWP 3850. I was perusing a field guide to American flora, attempting to determine which wildflowers were which. The appeal of Robert R. "Mudman" Simon, who was sentenced to 10-20 years for the slaying of Beth Jean Dusenberg of Drexel Hill, was denied in a short opinion handed down Monday. He was unpredictable. 464 Conchester Highway, Aston, PA 19014-3106. Simon stood accused of murdering his girlfriend, Beth Smith Dusenberg of Drexel Hill, and dumping her body in a water-filled coal mine pit near Hazleton, where it was . His biggest fault was also his most respectable feature hed take the hit before hed ever tell. Committee Chairman Stewart Greenleaf said the testimony, despite coming from convicted felons, was troubling. A rich fantasy life wasnt required in order to imagine whom he planned to take his irritation out on, given half the chance. ", Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Ambrose Harris. Simon was a motorcycle gang member who was sentenced to death . The mud-man first appeared . Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. "Prison is a violent place," he said. He was always taken care of,' said Brown, who is now serving his life sentence for murder at Huntington state prison. In the immortal words of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Girl, we cant change the places where we were born. Fellow officers rushed to the scene a few hundred feet shy of police headquarters. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. Take it easy, boss. Simon had either dropped out of or was expelled from high school. There was Yo-Yo, pacing restlessly, smoking one of those Winstons allegedly purchased for his mother. He shoved me hard, knocking me onto the grass. One of the more infamous was the late Robert "Mudman" Simon who killed a Franklin Township police sergeant in Franklinville, NJ, in 1995. "His story is a very tragic story. In 1995, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole paroled Warlocks bike gang member Robert "Mudman" Simon, disregarding strong warnings from the judge who convicted him. Nice read, and I appreciated it! 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. . Sure he was, in many ways and on many occasions. ``He looked like he belonged in the Viking days. 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. On May 6, 1995 Police Sgt. Very noble and upright of them. Hey, you. 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. Prison officers were reported to have taken at least five minutes to intervene in the fight. Gloucester County Clerk James Hogan, who was chief of police in Franklin Township from 1976 to 1988, was a state parole board member before retiring in 1994. Mar 21, 2012. As an example of Simons extreme behavior, Davis cited the gang members reaction when he learned Dusenbergs body had been mummified in the mine where she was buried: He talked about having sex with the corpse and wanted to decorate his cell with blowups of the evidence pictures. As a teenager and in my early 20s, I wasnt any angel. [4][5] Being a member of the gang was such a substantial part of Simon's life to the point where he would even tout his religion as "Warlock". "He was a tremendous officer, an example of how dangerous police work can be. 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 . 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. He killed another inmate in prison but was acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. Gloria Lynne Dunn. On a Saturday when the Delaware County Daily Times' regular courthouse reporter was off, I had to cover Nauss' trial. It just happened that I grew up three blocks from him; we moved in the same circles, such as they were. He moved toward me once again. We love ridin our motorcycles fast and hangin with our brothers.Touch one ya touched us all They have 3,158 followers and had a food drive in November and a Harvest Party in October. While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. A 19th Century mansion on a wooded tract owned by two wealthy eccentric spinster sisters. [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. Writersand their workis invariably a product of who they are and where they came from. 0:53. The Mudman could be one seriously disgruntled customer. According to their mission statement: We aren't here to pick sides, it is the stories that we find the most interesting. Convicted killer Ambrose Harris returns to the limelight today as his trial begins in the gruesome murder of Robert "Mudman" Simon inside the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton in 1999. Smart money was on the latter. 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. [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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Simon stated that he shot Gonzalez because he didnt want to go back the prison. Ambrose Harris, 47, sentenced to death for . He started in my direction, with obvious enthusiasm. 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. Or you got a piece? The lethal injection chamber at the prison was never used, and the New Jersey Governor repealed the death penalty in December 2007. According to police informants, her body was buried in Tinicum Marsh. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. You got a flower book!. Mud killed a guy in the chow line at SCI Pittsburgh. Yo-Yo rolled around on the sidewalk, moaning and crying, his face bloody and already beginning to swell. In 1999, Harris stomped another death-row inmate in NJ State Prison - Robert "Mudman" Simon - to death. It was a warm, sunny spring afternoon. [18], Unbeknownst to the parole board's officials, the Warlocks Motorcycle Club had quite the presence within the area, which was even regarded to be a "stronghold" for the biker gang. The fourteen other inmates housed therein, a quirky crew including a shy and sensitive child murderer and a transgender cop killer in a platinum blond wig, looked on. 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. "The most dangerous time for police officers is the beginning and end of their shift.". The two shared an uneasy co . [8][9] According to his fellow Warlock bikers, Simon talked about having sexual intercourse with Dusenberg's mummified corpse after he buried it in a water-filled strip mine near Hazleton and even hoped to decorate his jail cell with physical photographs of such evidence. The Mudman, who frightened even fellow killers and the toughest veteran cops, was definitely not someone that you wanted to tangle with. And Im scared of dentists., That apparently struck a raw nerve. Christie Whitman has asked for a report on the parole bureaus role. Ippolito Gonzalez of the Franklin . 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. He told of guards skimming money from inmate payrolls and operating a black market for drugs, food and cigarettes that reached outside prison walls. I returned to a careful, time-consuming study of Campbells soup cans. For your grave.. 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. Id forgotten about them. This case tragically arose on the night of May 6, 1995 when Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez, a Franklin Township, NJ police officer, 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. 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". The Warlocks MC, another 1% club, was founded in 1967 right here in Philadelphia. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The information that we share is true to the best of our knowledge, but often misinformation has a way of appearing on the internet, so please contact us and let us know if our facts aren't right. Warlocks Motorcycle Club West Virginia. And Camisa worked the halls when Robert "Mudman" Simon - yet another name on his long list of undesirable connections - was housed at his facility. : 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. Ippolito Gonzalez. After they arrived, Bobby and the guy stepped out to grab some party goods for the night, making the mistake of leaving her alone with the mountain chapter. "There's still a criminal element that's involved with motorcycle gangs. Yo-Yo spotted me. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez, left, and Charles "Shovel" Staples, right, as seen in a recent prison photo. 3 children killed, 2 hospitalized in North Texas domestic incident, At least 5 dead following year's first severe spring weather outbreak, Pennsylvania woman missing for more than 30 years found in Puerto Rico, 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'True Romance' actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61, Russia's Lavrov laughed at after saying West started war in Ukraine. Neither the judge in Simons murder case, John Lavelle, nor a trooper who knew him years ago expressed surprise. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, artist and recent Temple University graduate was painting a community mural in Trenton in 1992. Simon took a different route in his attempt to stay out of prison - murdering a policeman. He was an eyewitness to the 1999 slaying of Robert "Mudman" Simon, a Warlocks gang member convicted of killing a Franklin Township police officer. A motorcycle gang member did not live long enough on death row to face execution - instead he was killed by another inmate. When they were left together briefly this morning at the New Jersey State Prison, prison officials said, Ambrose Harris beat to death Robert (Mudman) Simon after a bloody fistfight in a fenced . Maybe he wants to be a fuckin landscaper and hes studying on it. Your email address will not be published. The three guys were there with her. [1] However, he was ultimately beaten to death at New Jersey State Prison . We believe in taking care of our own. Approximately 85 B & W ill., including interior photos of the 1835 prison. He then stabbed a fellow inmate in 1984 with a makeshift knife that was more than a foot long. "Harris apparently beat Simon down with his fists then kicked him until he was unconscious," said an investigator. Other lasting effects, real or perceived, still resonate to those who were there and helped bring about justice. 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 . 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 . We use people. Brown said corruption at the suburban Philadelphia prison extends into the upper levels of management and that some guards give special treatment to inmates in exchange for money, drugs and sexual favors. Do you still like flowers?Good writing! If you Google the words 'Robert Mudman Simon' or type them into the archives of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, links to hundreds of articles magically appear. Print length. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Hannon said it was his understanding it cost between $100 and $300 to have files removed. . Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Officials did not release a cause of death. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. It wasnt the wall. Simon and Charles ``Shovel Staples, the vice president of the Warlocks South Jersey chapter, are charged with murdering Franklin Township Sgt. He spent 14 years in prison and was released in 1995. Casing the place? My friends? We have chapters worldwide. The major difference being that when things soured, Simon would literally shoot you in the head rather than figuratively stab you in the back. 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. Harris' life was spared when New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007. Yo grabbed the book from my hand. While on Death Row, Harris attacked and killed another Death Row inmate, Robert "Mudman" Simon, a beefy, scraggly long-haired and long-bearded 48-year-old outlaw biker, with several previous murder convictions.