Who was I going to call? Ambrose Harris, 47, sentenced to death for . [13] Furthermore, Simon's trailer home residence was only a few feet from a bar known to be frequented by Warlocks bikers. [2], Robert Ronald Simon was born on September 4, 1951, in Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. : 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. While examining Simon's Social Security Card and Staples' driver's license, he requested for backup on his police radio. Ill be waiting for you outside, he promised. [7][3], On May 6, 1995, Robert Simon along with the vice president of the Warlocks' South Jersey chapter, Charles "Shovel" Staples, were both sitting in a car in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey when they were pulled over by 15-year Franklin Township police veteran Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez as part of a routine traffic stop. Ambrose Harris, 68, died Tuesday at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, the state Department of Corrections said. Harris was sentenced to death and sent to prison in 1994 for kidnapping, raping and killing 22-year-old Kristin Huggins. Not only for the Gonzalez family, but for the Franklin Township Police Department," said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton, who was a state legislator at the time of the shooting. I might as well have been a child molester. Gonzalez's radio request for backup. She was actually one of Bobbys best friends. They still have to pull over that car and they don't know what's behind the tinted window," Sand said of police work -- a world of "real threats and unknown dangers.". The county political boss lived nearby, as did the avuncular anchorman of Philadelphias top-rated TV newscast and a once-famous 50s rock and roller. 'They said, 'If you get any of our friends in trouble, you don't have to worry about going back to Huntington.'' One of the more infamous was the late Robert "Mudman" Simon who killed a Franklin Township police sergeant in Franklinville, NJ, in 1995. new jersey pulled over warlocks members robert mudman simon and charles shovel staples on a traffic stop moments after the two had committed a commercial burglary. The club is most prominent in and has significant territory in the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia, Delaware County, South Jersey, and Wilmington, though they also have a heavy presence . ``Its the only case where I ever wore a bulletproof vest, Lavelle said. With some petunias. Writersand their workis invariably a product of who they are and where they came from. He was suspected of involvement in several other murders. [7] Simon was also suspected of murdering an inmate at State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh during his incarceration period. The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, artist and recent Temple University graduate was painting a community mural in Trenton in 1992. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez of Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey pulled over Warlocks members Robert "Mudman" Simon and Charles Staples on a traffic stop moments after the two had committed a commercial burglary. There was Yo-Yo, pacing restlessly, smoking one of those Winstons allegedly purchased for his mother. The Waltons was largely based on the childhood memories and experiences of the shows creator, novelist Earl Hamner, who grew up in a place very much like Waltons Mountain. Yo appeared rather impatient and irritated. On May 6, 1995 Police Sgt. The second and final gunshot entered Gonzalez's skull behind his right ear, lodging itself within his brain. It might have been the latest in a long and strange list of childhood obsessions, somewhere between the Roman Empire, the Civil War, the Old West, 1940s film noir, the Manson killings and geology. Simon, originally from Darby and believed to be one of the founders of the Warlocks, had been released from prison after serving more than 12 years for the shooting murder of his young girlfriend after . The Mud Man is an enemy in the Castlevania series. While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. 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. Youre looking at flowers! 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. We want to share with you the history of outlaw motorcycle clubs and the major events that they have been through over the last several decades. Brown said the going price was $300. Some people light a fire with a 14k gold Dunhill lighter, others rub two sticks together; six of one, a half dozen of the other. In 1995, Pennsylvania Motorcycle Gang member Robert 'Mudman' Simon killed a police officer at a traffic stop and was sentenced to death. All rights reserved (About Us). Get lost.. A.K.A. Casing the place? 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). [14], On January 21, 1993, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP) denied a parole application they received from Simon citing his high risk of continued involvement with the Philly Warlocks along with his need for substance abuse treatment. Simon shot Gonzales twice, in the head and neck, killing him instantly. But John Cunningham, vice-president of the corrections officers' union, said guards could not react immediately because the rules prevented them from entering the caged recreation area without riot gear. Simon took a different route in his attempt to stay out of prison - murdering a policeman. He shoved me hard, knocking me onto the grass. 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. "I have to do 31 years, four months and 19 days before becoming eligible for parole on Oct. 26, 2026. They committed the act, Gonzalez pulled the duo over right before his shift was about to end, Simon fatally shot the officer before being wounded himself. The jury of five men and seven women had deliberated 11 hours over two days before returning the verdict. "I think Robert Simon would rather have died on the floor fighting than take his lethal injection," said John Call, his former lawyer. July 27, 2008. Writers are, of necessity, selfish. And Camisa worked the halls when Robert "Mudman" Simon - yet another name on his long list of undesirable connections - was housed at his facility. He didnt care. Simon was convicted in 1974 for killing his girlfriend after she refused to cooperate in her gang rape by Simon's friends and . His gaze was chilling. Im gonna tell! In that neighborhood, one didnt necessarily want to cultivate a reputation as a guy that stood around on grassy knolls looking through books about flowers. A firestorm of controversy swirled around the parole. While in prison, authorities said Harris viciously beat inmate Robert "Mudman" Simon, 48, to death in a recreation area in 1999. A jury acquitted Harris of Simon's death, saying he acted in self-defense. The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, artist and recent Temple University graduate was painting a community mural in Trenton in 1992. He was beaten to death in prison in 1999. Simon pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to death row following the 1996 trial in Hunterdon County. Robert "Mudman" Simon By genealogy.com user February 05, 2000 at 06:01:36. 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. Officials did not release a cause of death. 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.. So strong was Robert "Mudman" Simon's influence at the Graterford state prison that he was able to run a drug ring from behind bars, according to a cell block neighbor. One Warlock, Robert "Mudman" Simon, was convicted in 1981 of killing a Carbon County woman. Tell you the truth, I been considering a B&E myself. Sure he was, in many ways and on many occasions. 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. "Robert Simon being released from jail just never should have happened," said Steve Sand, former Gloucester County assistant prosecutor who tried the two in court. 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. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. Read more. Mudman said that he had killed the cop because he didnt want to go back to prison. It proved unsuccessful and he ended up back in the slammer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He was then . Simon was a motorcycle gang member who was sentenced to death . A man who raped and killed a Pennsylvania artist and who . ``I expressed in as forceful language as I could my strong opinion that Robert Simon should never see the light of day in Pennsylvania or any other place in the free world, said Lavelle, who wrote to the state parole board in 1992 to object to Simons release. It might have been related to a school project. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. New Jerseys Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hold hearings on the issue, and Gov. "They're the guys on the street. Dan Lendo, a former Graterford activities specialist, remembers Warlocks gang member Robert "Mudman" Simon being at Graterford for killing his girlfriend. And Im scared of dentists., That apparently struck a raw nerve. "He was a tremendous officer, an example of how dangerous police work can be. Bobby Simon was seated on top of the horizontal ice cream freezer. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Convicted cop killer Robert ``Mudman'' Simon was killed in prison in a fight with another death row inmate, a spokeswoman said today. It is a figure made of mud, imbued with a tormented soul. The trial court "failed to put these matters to rest," and failed to "deal with these ambiguities" in Simon's answers. By most accounts, Simon was a career criminal. Harris' life was spared when New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007. 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. A rich fantasy life wasnt required in order to imagine whom he planned to take his irritation out on, given half the chance. He spat his gum out on the sidewalk. 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. When the authorities caught up with him about seven years later, he was living under an alias, apparently an upstanding citizen with a wife and several children in the Midwest. Respondent, Progressive Express Insurance Company ("Progressive"), is the Defendant in the trial court and the Appellee in the District Court of Appeal. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It was the first official 1% outlaw motorcycle club founded in Pennsylvania. "Simon"), isa health care ( provider and is the Plaintiff in the trial court and the Appellant in the District Court of Appeal. JayClark 28 Feb 2016. Of course, none of us wants to go to prison and therefore avoid illegal activities like burglary and murder. [7], Sgt. The pest control contractor had come that morning to eradicate the roaches in their cages. The Mudman lived there too. The Warlocks terrorized people in the 70s with hundreds of members, according to former Pennsylvania trooper William Davis. March 3 (UPI) -- A sheep spotted wandering loose on a British highway was given a lift back to its owner by a concerned bus driver on her first day on the job. With the permission of the parole and prison authorities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Mr. Simon had relocated to Ippolito ``Lee Gonzalez, 40, on Saturday night. Dimensions. 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. That girl was a good friend of his whom he brought up the mountains to see her boyfriend. Earl Hamner had the gentle folk of the Blue Ridge. Delivery truck drivers and out of towners constantly became lost. One of the most infamous Warlocks is Robert "Mudman" Simon, who gained national attention in May for shooting a South Jersey policeman 11 weeks after Simon's parole on a murder charge. [19] Simon continued to use drugs and associate with the Warlocks MC, in violation of his parole conditions. That was in 1999, 18 years after being convicted of murder, four years after murdering Gonzalez. "This was a tragic loss. On May 6th, less than three months after being released from prison, Simon, along with another Warlock, Charles "Shovel" Staples, was pulled over in Gloucester County, NJ, by Police Sgt. Simon was a motorcycle gang member who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Franklin Township Police Sgt. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez. Print length. Or you got a piece? Simon . They are active throughout the Delaware Valley, including South Jersey and Wilmington, with Delco and Philly being their main stomping grounds. Ippolito Gonzalez. And who can forget Robert "Mudman" Simon. I just read the Waltons very poignant very real! In a hand-written letter dated March 17, Staples called the shooting "tragic.". As a teenager and in my early 20s, I wasnt any angel. "As with any criminal enterprise, it's something we're mindful of.". It wasnt the Iowa Writers Workshop, exactly. The victim, suspect and three witnesses were all convicted murderers. I executed a great escape by walking off with Mr. Carr, thoughtfully informing him that Trixie was the favorite dog of everyone in the neighborhood. Ambrose Harris. 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. I got your back, no problem.. Mudman, many felt, received a lethal Bollingen Prize of poetic justice. Jonathan Brown told the state Senate Judiciary Committee he saw Simon pay prison staffers to remove reports of misconduct and failed drug tests from his file, allowing him to qualify for parole. Bobby Simon had recently moved on up from membership in a local fraternal organization known as the Warlords into the Warlocks Motorcycle Club, among the hardest of hardcore one-percenters. Loved the look on the sociopath and real story of his death. 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. According to their mission statement: We aren't here to pick sides, it is the stories that we find the most interesting. Not long before, Mud had burned down a store on the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk. [17], Simon was paroled in February 1995, having served a total of 12-and-a-half-years of prison time. 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. The reporters were much better off remaining at a safe distance, like visitors to the lions den at the Philadelphia Zoo. The two shared an uneasy co . He was known to be a bit touched in the head, and not by an angel. Two busy shopping centers. Stopping to help, he finds that the driver, Michael Ballard, is aliveand drenched in blood. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. He was always taken care of,' said Brown, who is now serving his life sentence for murder at Huntington state prison. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I used Simon as the basis for the character of Ronnie Sludgeman Simmons in my novel The Blue Route. In sometimes emotionally charged testimony, Brown claimed guards at Camp Hill state prison, where he was transferred for his appearance before the committee, threatened to kill him if he went public with his claims. Simon, grinning, said: Now Yo-Yo got a pain in both of his yos. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. He was later a Golden Gloves amateur boxing champ. For some reason, I always got along just fine with people that were deranged and dangerous. ``Castor is not to be blamed. I knew Bobby Simon much better than did any of the reporters whose bylines appear on those stories, which is nothing to be proud of. According to police informants, her body was buried in Tinicum Marsh. Christie Whitman has asked for a report on the parole bureaus role. It proved unsuccessful and he ended up back in the slammer. 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 . What are you doing, anyway? He was cracking his knuckles. His criminal wrongdoings reportedly began as early as age 8. All rights reserved, Police Asking for Public Assistance Finding Person Who Set Fire in Wilmington, Couple on Hawaii Honeymoon Says Snorkeling Tour Group Abandoned Them in the Ocean, Three Men Shot and Killed in Separate Shootings in Philly, Check Your Change! The most highly publicized case heard in Lavelle's courtroom was the 1982 trial of Robert "Mudman" Simon, a founding member of the Philadelphia-based Warlocks motorcycle gang. He was far from the monster that the media made him out to be. (Complaint at 78-79.) Simon was jailed in 1982 for 10 to 20 years after killing a girlfriend who refused to have sex with gang members. Simon shot gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and gonzalez died instantly. The Bucks County artist and recent Temple University graduate was painting a community mural in Trenton in 1992. It was a warm, sunny spring afternoon. Staples was tried twice; a hung jury was the result of the first and felony murder the second. A jury acquitted Harris of Simons death, saying he acted in self-defense. Frank Hannon, another convicted murderer, testified earlier that he believed Simon bought his parole by paying off guards but said he had no first hand knowledge. Robert (Mudman) Simon, released from Graterford state prison in February after serving 20 years, is one of two men charged with the fatal shooting of Franklin Township, N.J., Officer Ippolito . We believe in taking care of our own. 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. In the immortal words of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Girl, we cant change the places where we were born. A motorcycle gang member did not live long enough on death row to face execution - instead he was killed by another inmate. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. His mother smoked about as often as mine did, which was never. Ominously. I socialized and did business with quite a few individuals that most people wouldnt want to know. Mr. Simon pleaded guilty last October to capital murder in the shooting death of Sgt. Michael Dimauro, also of Delaware County, allegedly shot David Rossillo in the cemetery, then disposed of his body in an underground crypt after tying a . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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 . Police officers recount night of fatal shooting in 10th anniversary column. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Dealing with structured environments was never Simons forte. He had formerly been sentenced to death by the state of New Jersey on May 6, 1995, for his part in the fatal shooting of Franklin Township police sergeant Ippolito Gonzalez. Robert (Mudman) Simon, who had a reputation for taunting fellow inmates at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, apparently singled out Ambrose (Squirt Boy) Harris as his next target. All the broads loved him! He spent 14 years in prison and was released in 1995. Nice read, and I appreciated it! [7] At one point, Simon had a spider-web tattooed onto his elbow, which was rumored to signify he had murdered someone. Ill catch up with you later! he hissed behind Mr. Carrs back. What the fuck are you doing? he demanded. Maybe he wants to be a fuckin landscaper and hes studying on it. March 3 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain responded to a home to rescue a horse that had fallen into its owner's swimming pool and was unable to get itself out. 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. Approximately 85 B & W ill., including interior photos of the 1835 prison. You bother my cousin here again, doofus, Im gonna throw your sorry ass in front of a trolley, get it?, Simon winked at me. Committee Chairman Stewart Greenleaf said the testimony, despite coming from convicted felons, was troubling. 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. Get up and fight, flower girl!, I was rescued by the timely arrival of a neighbor, Mr. Carr, walking his poodle Trixie. Then one night, Staples suggested burglarizing a house he knew was unoccupied at the time.