A Martinsville family is questioning the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office decision not to charge a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Darin Lee Simpson at a gas station Saturday evening.
“Darin didn’t have a weapon so I don’t see how this could be self-defense,” said the man’s mother, Becky Dillow.
Sebastian Adam Lestat Jones, 20, of Monrovia, was arrested in connection with the killing and booked at the Hendricks County Jail.
Simpson, 33, and Jones both worked at the TA truck stop on State Route 39 in Clayton near Interstate 70, where the stabbing occurred.
Detectives found a physical altercation occurred between the two men before Jones stabbed Simpson with a knife, according to the Hendrick’s County Sheriff’s Office. Simpson was transported to an Indianapolis hospital, where he died.
Amberly Simpson, Darin Simpson’s wife of almost six years, also worked at the truck stop and said the altercation between her husband and Jones was sparked by a verbal altercation she had with Jones’ girlfriend.
“Darin was just protecting me when this happened,” Amberly Simpson said. “He was confronting him (Jones) just with his mouth and with his hands.”
More on the Hendricks County stabbing: Martinsville man killed during fight among truck stop employees
Two days after the killing, the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges would not be brought against Jones as the evidence indicated he acted in self-defense. Jones was released from custody.
“The Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office extensively reviewed all witness statements, interviews, surveillance footage, evidence obtained from the scene and additional evidence collected after the incident,” reads a news release.
The prosecutor’s office did not return a request for additional information on the decision not to charge Jones before publication of this article.
Now Darin Simpson’s family is trying to find a lawyer to challenge the prosecutor’s office decision. They are also running into difficulties paying for Darin’s funeral, as he did not have life insurance, and the killing leaves his three children without a father.
Darin Simpson was a handful growing up and never finished high school, but he was trying to get his life situated before the killing, his mother said.
“My son changed for better,” Dillow said. “He would work seven days a week at the truck stop when they let him. It made him feel like he was providing for his family.”
Darin Simpson worked as a dishwasher and cook at the truck stop for close to two years.
With her husband’s birthday at the end of the month, Amberly Simpson said she won’t know what to do when the day comes, and they can’t go to the movies together to celebrate.
“He did a lot for me and changed my life,” Amberly Simpson said.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hendricks County stabbing: Family questions self-defense ruling