SAN ANTONIO — James Cotter, the longtime business partner of a San Antonio man accused of murder, is set to appear in court facing two felony charges.
Cotter is accused of helping his associate, Brad Simpson, hide evidence related to the disappearance of Simpson’s wife, Suzanne Simpson.
Online records indicate that the case is scheduled to go to trial tomorrow. However, attorneys not involved in the case suggest that the high-profile trial may not commence as planned. Nico LaHood, a former Bexar County District Attorney and now a criminal defense attorney, said, “Typically a first trial setting in Bexar County does not go to trial.”
LaHood explained that judges often prioritize older cases and those involving individuals in custody over those out on bond. “Many times, a judge will look at their docket and then go to the oldest case first, and then they’ll take some preferential looks at the people that are in custody versus the ones out on bond. So there’s a lot of different factors,” he said.
Cotter is charged with tampering with evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon. Allegations claim he hid a fully automatic AK-47 for Simpson just two days after Suzanne Simpson disappeared.
LaHood advised that trial preparations could take anywhere from four months to two years. Fellow defense attorney John Hunter noted that most high-profile cases he has handled did not go to trial within a year. He suggested that the charges against Cotter might be a strategy to secure his cooperation in Simpson’s case. “Based upon the situation as we see it, where we still don’t actually know where Mr. Simpson’s wife is, my guess is that they needed every single possible tool in their tool chest they could come up with, including trying to get someone to cooperate by threatening them,” Hunter said.
Brad Simpson is also scheduled to appear in the same court later this month to update the judge on the status of evidence in his cases.