‘Killing spree’ duo suspected in five SC, Tenn. and Missouri murders plead guilty to two
A duo charged in or suspected of five murders in a 2021 multi-state ”killing spree” that stretched from Missouri to Tennessee to South Carolina have pleaded guilty to two of them and will spend the rest of their lives in prison, court officials said Wednesday.
Tyler Donnet Terry and Adrienne Simpson agreed to the pleas in two murders and other shootings in York and Chester counties in South Carolina, in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty, lawyers said in Chester County court Wednesday.
Simpson, 34, and Terry, 27, are also suspected of homicides in St. Louis and Memphis during the crime spree from May 2-18, 2021, prosecutors said.
Some law enforcement officials dubbed the pair a modern day “Bonnie and Clyde” after the series of crimes before Terry was caught in a manhunt that lasted six days and garnered international attention.
Prosecutor: “Killing spree”
6th Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman, Chester County’s top prosecutor, said in court Wednesday the two were involved in shootings in several states.
“This was a killing spree,” Newman said.
Simpson was captured May 18 after a police chase in Chester County in which six deputies were fired on. Terry fled into the woods and eluded police for almost a week, sparking a manhunt that included several hundred federal agents, as well as South Carolina and local police. More than 350 officers were involved in the search.
“This was the most extensive manhunt in the history of Chester County,” Newman said in court.
Terry was found hiding in a rural Chester County field near Interstate 77 six days after the manhunt began.
The plea agreement is for life in prison without parole for both Terry and Simpson.
B.J. Barrowclough, 16th Circuit Public Defender, said the guilty pleas include an agreement that neither York nor Chester prosecutors would seek the death penalty. The agreement also provides that Missouri and Tennessee prosecutors would not seek the death penalty, lawyers and the judge said Wednesday.
Both Terry and Simpson agreed with Judge Brian Gibbons when Gibbons explained the negotiated plea agreement is for life in prison without parole, and prosecutors would not seek capital punishment.
Gibbons asked Terry how he pleaded on 25 S.C. charges.
“Guilty,” Terry said.
Terry declined to speak further.
Gibbons asked Simpson how she pleaded to 16 charges.
“Guilty,” Simpson said.
Simpson apologized to the victims’ families.
“There is so much heartache and I wish I could change what happened,” Simpson said.
Simpson’s lawyer, Geoff Dunn of Rock Hill, said Simpson cooperated with police and has been contrite and remorseful since her arrest.
Dunn said in court Simpson has been the repeated victim of abuse at the hands of men.
The murders in South Carolina
Terry and Simpson pleaded guilty to the killing of Simpson’s husband in Chester County on May 2. Eugene Simpson’s body was found in a Chester County field on May 18.
“They drove into the woods and made Mr. Simpson believe the car was breaking down,” Newman said in court. “Mr. Simpson was then shot multiple times in the head and abdomen.”
Pamela Simpson, Eugene Simpson’s mother, said Terry and Adrienne Simpson caused chaos and pain across the country.
“Nobody deserves what these people did,” Pamela Simpson said in court. “All these victims. All this killing. They did this.”
Terry and Simpson also admitted to the May 2 killing of Thomas Hardin in the city of York. Terry knew the victim and police discovered Adrienne Simpson’s debit card at the scene, 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett of York County said.
Investigators later found the same gun was used in other shootings in Chester and York County, Brackett said.
Hardin’s family thanked police for making the arrests. The family was terrified for their safety during the Terry manhunt, family members said.
St. Louis and Memphis killings
The pair are suspected of murder in Missouri in the May 15 killings of a doctor and woman in St. Louis County, Mo., officials said. Barbara Goodkin, 71, and 58-year-old Dr. Sergei Zacharev were fatally shot in unrelated incidents about an hour apart, St. Louis County and South Carolina prosecutors said. Zacharev was also robbed, prosecutors said.
Terry and Simpson also are suspected in a May killing in Memphis, Tenn., before the couple fled back to South Carolina, Brackett said.
Other York, Chester shootings
Terry also admitted to shooting at a York County man May 17, 2021, after a woman’s mobile home was set on fire with her inside, officials said. Simpson admitted to arson in the fire. The woman escaped the fire.
The pair also admitted to two shootings in Chester outside a Taco Bell and outside a home on May 2.
Check back for updates on this story.
