Crime & Safety

Opening Statements Heard in Bowie State Murder Trial

The trial against Alexis Simpson is expected to last through Thursday, according to The Washington Post.

First degree murder or self defense—that’s what jurors will have to decide this week as they hear arguments in the trial against Alexis Simpson, a former Bowie State University student charged in the murder of her roommate.

Simpson, 20, has been charged with first degree murder for the 2011 stabbing death of her then-roommate, 19-year-old Dominique Frazier.

The jury heard opening statements today from the prosecution and the defense, each of which told very different stories, according to The Washington Post.

The Post reported that Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Murphy told jurors how Simpson and Frazier had a history of arguments and confrontations, but how on one night last September, Simpson came to Frazier’s room following a heated argument and physical confrontation, and stabbed Frazier in the arm and in the neck.

Attorneys for Simpson countered that she acted in self defense, picking up and swinging the knife as she was trying to leave the apartment while under attack by Frazier and two others, according to the Post.

Read the full story on The Washington Post.


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