
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
More than three years after the shooting death of LSU basketball player Wayde Sims, 23-year-old Dyteon Simpson of Baker has been convicted of second-degree murder. Video of the shooting was critical to the case, as jurors saw the fatal confrontation from multiple angles. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore applauded his prosecutors for their work and thanked the jury for reaching a guilty verdict.
“It’s all about the evidence,” said Moore. “It’s about the jurors working very hard. This jury took a very, very emotional case, as did the lawyers, and broke it down and synthesized it down to the three seconds that it actually was.”
Moore said ultimately though he believes justice was served, there is no joy to be taken from yesterday’s verdict. At least two families will have to live with the aftermath of that night forever.
“No one here had jumped up and down and just celebrated,” Moore said. “It’s just not how it is. Someone is going to jail for the rest of their life. (The Sims family) have to be pleased with the effort, despite losing a son.”
Sims’ parents were emotional as the verdict was read and his father Wayne, who played for LSU during the late 1980s and early 90s, spoke on the family’s behalf.
“This road has been a long time coming and I was satisfied with the verdict,” said Sims. “I just hope that we get this behind us and we can live one day at a time the best we can.”
Simpson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and did not testify in his own defense.
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