Capital murder suspect Tyrese Simmons in custody after standoff with police
TULSA, OKLAHOMA (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Tulsa police took Tyrese Simmons into custody Thursday afternoon, after a standoff at a hotel on N. Garnett Road. Simmons is facing a life sentence on capital murder charges in the 2019 death of 9-year-old Brandoniya Bennett.
His trial was set to begin June 5, but was put on hold after Simmons disappeared. In late May, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office said it was notified that Simmons' ankle monitor had been tampered with and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Simmons is being held in Oklahoma for resisting arrest and fugitive from justice charges. Dallas County could later extradite him back to face his capital murder charges.
In August 2019, Dallas police say Simmons, who was a rapper at the time, fired shots into Brandoniya's home, mistaking it for the home of a rival rapper living next door. In November, Davonte Benton was sentenced to 45 years in prison for Bennett's murder.
Lawmakers recently passed a law, signed by the governor, that will make it a felony to tamper with an ankle monitor starting in September.