In the early morning hours of September 28, 2018, the life of Wayde Sims, a 20-year-old Black male and a forward for the Louisiana State University basketball team, was tragically cut short in his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooting occurred around 12:25 a.m. near the campus of Southern University, across from a Subway restaurant where homecoming festivities were underway. Sims had stepped in to defend a friend who was involved in a physical altercation.
During the brawl, he was shot. He was quickly transported to a local hospital but succumbed to a gunshot wound to his head and neck.
The Baton Rouge Police Department launched an immediate investigation, circulating cell phone footage of the fight that led to the shooting in the hopes that the public could help identify the gunman. The investigation led them to 20-year-old Dyteon Simpson. A critical piece of evidence was a pair of glasses recovered from the scene; DNA found on them matched Simpson. He was arrested the following day, and during questioning, he admitted to being at the scene, possessing a weapon, and shooting Sims. Simpson was subsequently charged with second-degree murder.
The legal proceedings faced several delays, including a change of judges and a request by the defense for a change of venue, arguing that extensive local media coverage would prevent a fair trial. The trial for Dyteon Simpson ultimately began in April 2022, more than three years after Sims' death. Prosecutors presented video of the fight and the shooting as key evidence. Testimonies suggested the initial fistfight may have started over a woman. Simpson chose not to testify. The jury found Dyteon Simpson guilty of second-degree murder.
In July 2022, Simpson was handed the mandatory sentence for his conviction: life in prison without the possibility of parole. The story, however, took another unexpected turn just days after the sentencing. On July 10, 2022, Dyteon Simpson, then 23, was found unresponsive in his cell at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. Despite efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead. A preliminary toxicology report suggested the cause of death was an overdose, with fentanyl found in his system, bringing a somber and final chapter to the case.
