In the quiet neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, the life of 42-year-old Gracson Simmons, a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short on April 2, 2016. He was discovered in his apartment on St. Anthony Avenue, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound to the back. Neighbors reported hearing a struggle, a brief but violent prelude to the silence that would follow.
Friends of Simmons described him as a quiet man who generally kept to himself, though they acknowledged his involvement in selling drugs.
The investigation into his death initially yielded few leads. A crucial piece of evidence, a cigarette butt found at the scene, was collected by police. It was this seemingly insignificant item that would eventually help unravel the case. Surveillance video from the apartment building showed two men arriving in a Dodge Durango, providing a visual clue for law enforcement to pursue. As the investigation progressed, a witness came forward with vital information. This individual knew two men, Matthew Alex Morton, 25, and Christopher Jerome McKay, 51, both from Detroit, Michigan. The witness explained that McKay had come to Minnesota to lay low, as he was wanted for a bank robbery in his home state. During their time in Minnesota, Morton and McKay had met Simmons and purchased crack-cocaine from him.
The witness's testimony became even more significant when he recounted a phone call from Morton shortly after the killing. In that call, Morton allegedly admitted that he and McKay had attempted to rob a man and had shot him. The witness also told police that McKay refused to get rid of the gun because it was his only one. This information, combined with cellphone and Facebook records placing both men in Minnesota at the time of the murder, began to build a strong case against them. The DNA from the cigarette butt was tested and found to be a mixture, with neither Morton nor McKay being able to be excluded as contributors. Further corroborating the story, the witness's girlfriend confirmed that she had sold a Dodge Durango to McKay and identified both men in photo lineups.
In February 2017, nearly a year after the death of Gracson Simmons, Matthew Alex Morton and Christopher Jerome McKay were charged with second-degree murder. The charges, which had been sealed, were made public after their arrests. Both men had prior criminal records. Morton had previous convictions for theft and assault, while McKay's history included domestic violence, armed robbery, and bank robbery. Their arrests brought a measure of resolution to a case that began with a violent struggle in a quiet apartment, a stark reminder of the sudden and tragic loss of a life.
