In the quiet city of Newport, Kentucky, concern grew for Anthony Martin, a 38-year-old United States Marine veteran, when he failed to arrive for Thanksgiving dinner in 2014. This uncharacteristic absence prompted his family to check on him at his third-floor apartment in the Victoria Square complex. Finding no sign of him, they alerted the authorities. When police executed a search warrant on December 10th, they made a grim discovery.
The scene within the apartment appeared to have been deliberately arranged to conceal any wrongdoing, but a thorough search revealed Martin's body, hidden from immediate view. He had been fatally shot.
Investigators quickly identified a person of interest: Anthony Otis Simpson. Simpson, who was 52 years old at the time, was the last person seen with Martin and the two were known to be acquainted. The investigation into Simpson revealed a troubled past; he was wanted in California for a parole violation stemming from a prior murder conviction. Newport police warned the public that Simpson should be considered armed and dangerous, releasing his photograph and appealing for any information regarding his whereabouts. Neighbors described Martin as a friendly but private individual who had moved to Newport from Lexington just a few months prior, seeking a peaceful place to live.
The search for Anthony Otis Simpson continued for over a year and a half. In July 2016, he was finally apprehended in Nitro, West Virginia. His capture was not straightforward; he was initially stopped for driving without headlights and, after giving a false identity, was briefly released before being taken back into custody. Following his arrest, Newport Police confirmed that he was the suspect in the 2014 murder of Anthony Martin and traveled to West Virginia as part of their investigation. Publicly available records later show an Anthony Otis Simpson with matching aliases and physical descriptors incarcerated in Kentucky. These records indicate a 2022 conviction in Campbell County, where Newport is located, for the attempted murder of a police officer and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, stemming from a 2021 incident.
