Witnesses of the 2010 murder of 36-year-old man still urged to come forward

This week on Tracking a Killer: The Cold Case Files, CityNews reporters Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick take a look at the unsolved murder of 36-year-old Gary Simpson.

Simpson was beaten with a baseball bat in the Queen and Sherbourne area of Toronto on April 28, 2010. He died later in hospital.

It is believed the attack may have been payback from the victim of a $25 robbery. Simpson’s killer has eluded police for over a decade.

Detective Steve Smith with Toronto’s Cold Case Unit says many bystanders witnessed the attack but didn’t want to intervene, “Whatever the dispute was, someone took it up a notch and went and got a baseball bat. They hit him numerous times in the head, knocking him unconscious in the street.”

Even though Simpson was unable to tell police who attacked him, the suspect was caught on camera.

Detective Smith says the suspect was wearing a very distinctive jacket the night of the attack, “We do have some video and we do have some photos we were able to enhance, where we were able to have a description of the person, as well as what he was wearing.”

It has been over 10 years since Simpson was murdered, but investigators say besides getting a match from the DNA found on the baseball bat, all they need is a name. “We think there is a number of people that know who the offender is. All we need is a name, “ says Detective Smith.

Gary Simpson’s younger brother Mathew Simpson says, as far as closure goes, he tells himself it doesn’t really matter, “I don’t have a lot of faith in the justice system. The only reason I want him to get caught is cause I don’t want him to do it to someone else.”

You can listen to this weeks episode of Tracking a Killer: The Cold Case Files on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, The Frequency Podcast Network, or wherever you like to listen.