Latest Weather Blog
Witnesses testify Friday in LSU basketball star's killing
Related Story
BATON ROUGE - Accused of killing rising LSU basketball star Wayde Sims, Dyteon Simpson's trial began this week, with witnesses speaking in front of jurors Friday.
The trial is long overdue—delayed in part because of COVID and attempts by Simpson's attorneys to move the trial out of East Baton Rouge—kicking off more than three years after the death of the 20-year-old LSU basketball player, which was caught on video and posted on social media moments after it happened.
After days of jury selection, which included Judge William Jorden ordering an arrest warrant for one prospective juror who didn't show up, the panel was seated on Wednesday.
Thursday, the trial moved forward with opening statements from prosecutors and Simpson's defense team.
In an interview with Simpson played at Friday's trial, Simpson admitted to having a gun in his pants when the fight broke out, but he later had it in his hand. Simpson did not further clarify how or why he pulled out the weapon.
Witness William Moseley, who identifies as a close friend of Sims, told jurors he believes the fight was over a girl — Morgan Dean, who testified before Moseley.
Simpson's attorneys argued that the shooter acted in regards to his own safety. Attorney Margaret Lagattuta and the rest of Simpson's team alleged Sims was the aggressor, noting that the LSU student-athlete was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana during the time of the fight.
Prosecutors claimed the shooting was unprovoked, picking away at Simpson's self-defense argument.
So far, the jury has heard testimonies from detectives who found a gun under the passenger seat of Simpson's car during the time of his arrest. What they weren't able to uncover was fingerprints on that gun.
Now, witnesses are expected to speak in front of the jury and hopefully offer more clarity on what happened Sept. 28, 2018.
The trial is set to pick back up at 9 a.m. Monday.
News
