In a quiet rural area of Chester County, South Carolina, the search for a missing man came to a tragic end. The body of 33-year-old Eugene Obrien Simpson of Great Falls, who had been reported missing on May 2, 2021, was discovered by law enforcement agents in a ditch off Stroud Road. An autopsy later confirmed that his death was a homicide. The investigation into his death quickly unraveled a story of betrayal and a multi-state crime spree that captured national attention.
Suspicion soon
fell upon Eugene Simpson's wife, Adrienne Simpson, and her companion, Tyler Donnett Terry. Investigators learned that the pair had lured Eugene into the woods under the pretense of car trouble. There, he was shot multiple times in the head and abdomen. Adrienne Simpson later provided a recorded statement to the police, which led to murder charges being filed against both her and Terry for her husband's death. Their alleged crimes were not limited to South Carolina; the duo was also suspected in two killings in the St. Louis, Missouri, area and another in Memphis, Tennessee, during what prosecutors described as a 'killing spree.' Some law enforcement officials dubbed them a modern-day 'Bonnie and Clyde.'
Adrienne Simpson was taken into custody on May 18, 2021, after leading deputies on a high-speed chase through Chester and York counties with Terry as her passenger. During the pursuit, Terry fired at deputies, striking at least three police vehicles before the chase ended in a crash. While Adrienne was arrested at the scene, Terry fled into the woods, sparking an extensive week-long manhunt involving hundreds of local, state, and federal officers. He was eventually captured and taken into custody.
In November 2022, to avoid the death penalty, Tyler Donnet Terry and Adrienne Simpson pleaded guilty to the murder of Eugene Simpson and another man, Thomas Hardin, in York. Both were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison. During the court proceedings, Eugene Simpson's mother, Pamela Simpson, spoke of the immense pain and chaos the pair had caused to multiple families across the country. Adrienne Simpson offered an apology to the victims' families, expressing a wish that she could change what had happened. Family members remembered Eugene as a humble and positive man who was a devoted father to his two children.
