FORT WORTH, TEXAS: After an extensive nine-hour deliberation, a jury found Timothy Simpkins guilty of attempted capital murder in connection with the 2021 shooting at Timberview High School. During the incident, Simpkins injured two students and a teacher.
Following the reading of the verdict, emotions ran high on both sides. Simpkins lowered his head as he was escorted out of the courtroom, while his mother expressed her distress, leaving in tears. "This is not right. This is not right," she said. The maximum sentence Simpkins faces is life in prison.
Was Timothy Simpkins bullied in school?
During the trial, Simpkins' family and attorneys put forth the narrative that he had been a victim of bullying at school, asserting they would present supporting evidence. However, on Thursday, July 20, no evidence of bullying was presented in court, and the jury was not swayed by the defense's arguments of self-defense.
The fourth day of the trial was dedicated to jury deliberations, following closing arguments from the state. Prosecutors presented the 45-caliber handgun that Simpkins used to injure three individuals, including two fellow students and a teacher, on October 6, 2021.
According to the prosecution, the altercation began when Zac Selby, one of the victims, initiated a fight in class. After the fight was stopped, Simpkins got a gun he had brought to school and started firing, pursuing Selby into the hallway and discharging more rounds.
'It was an intentional act!'
Prosecutor Rose Anna Salinas emphasized that the evidence demonstrated Simpkins' actions were intentional and premeditated, portraying him as a cold-blooded killer. "Every time he discharged that weapon, it was an intentional act. Every single time," Salinas asserted. In response, the defense argued that then 15-year-old Selby's aggressive behavior provoked Simpkins, then 18 years old, to fear for his life.
The judge had previously ruled that self-defense could not be considered as a justification for the shooting during deliberations. The defense attorney also incorrectly referred to Simpkins as being 17 at the time. "But what is a 17-year-old boy supposed to do when somebody comes in and brutally beats him?" defense attorney Lesa Pamplin asked the jury. Despite the defense's arguments, the jury found Simpkins guilty of attempted capital murder.
Upon delivering the verdict, the prosecution displayed visible relief and embraced audience members, including two teachers who testified during the trial. Teacher Calvin Petit, one of the shooting victims, offered a smile while hugging his family. The sentencing phase of the trial is set to begin on Friday morning, where the jury will hear additional evidence.
