Simpson trial begins

Ranger testifies about meetings with ‘hit man’

By Brian Knox
Published June 13, 2006

Rebecca Simpson entered a “not guilty” plea Tuesday as testimony began in her solicitation of capital murder trial in Fort Worth.

Simpson, 44, is accused of trying to hire a “hit man” to kill Bridgeport resident Shemane Watts and injure her husband, Danny Watts, in October of 2004.

Fourteen-year-old Bridgeport resident Jonna Jameson testified about a fight she witnessed between Simpson and Shemane Watts at The Gym in Bridgeport, which was owned by Shemane and Danny Watts, on Oct. 13, 2004. Jameson said Simpson and Shemane Watts began yelling at each other and Watts told Simpson to leave the business.

“She (Simpson) yelled, ‘I’ll tear y’all apart,’” Jameson testified.
Jameson said Shemane Watts pushed Simpson as she tried to make her leave the business. She said Simpson was pointing at her phone and saying Danny Watts had sent her text messages. Simpson then punched Shemane Watts in the head and threw a phone into the street, according to Jameson’s testimony.

Simpson’s attorney, Ray Bass, questioned Jameson about her written statement she gave to Bridgeport police immediately following the fight. Bass asked her why the phrase “I’ll tear y’all apart,” wasn’t in her written statement. Jameson said she didn’t think it was important at the time, but she provided the information after she was told of a relationship between Danny Watts and Simpson prior to Watts’ marriage to Shemane Watts in 2003.

The majority of the day was spent on testimony by Texas Ranger Dewayne Dockery, the lead investigator in the case. He said he received a call from Bridgeport Lt. Steve Stanford about a murder for hire case on Oct. 21, 2004. Stanford had been contacted by Kevin Cash, who described an encounter he had with Simpson the day after the fight at The Gym.

Dockery, reading from a statement given by Cash, said Simpson made comments about being stalked, and she needed a “permanent solution to the problem rather than a temporary fix.” According to the statement, the initial plan was to vandalize property belonging to Danny and Shemane Watts.

Cash later met with Simpson in a Cosco parking lot in Grapevine to discuss the details of the vandalism when he said Simpson was upset about a front page article in the Bridgeport Index about her fight with Shemane Watts, according to the statement. While discussing the vandalism, Simpson asked about what it would take to have the situation “be permanently taken care of,” and described how she wanted it to look like a “drug deal gone wrong,” according to Cash’s statement.

After his meeting with Simpson, Cash went to police.

Bass questioned Dockery at length about Cash, who had told Simpson he worked as a security consultant and “trained people how to kill,” according to a written statement Cash made to police.

When asked why he didn’t perform a background check on Cash to see if he was who he claimed to be, Dockery said he didn’t think it was necessary and wanted Cash out of the investigation as soon as possible for Cash’s safety.

According to Dockery, Cash was instructed to set up a second meeting with Simpson at the Cosco parking lot where Cash would introduce her to the undercover officer posing as a potential hit man. That meeting took place Oct. 26.

Another meeting was set up for two days later in which Simpson was to make a “down payment” on the hit, Dockery testified. That meeting was filmed by a hidden camera.

Simpson was arrested on Nov. 1, 2004, and later released after posting bail.

The case is being heard in Tarrant County since the alleged solicitation took place in that county. Assistant District Attorneys Christy Jack and Kim D’Avignon are prosecuting the case. Judge Mike Thomas is hearing the case.