The surviving spouse of a distinguished New York Police Department (NYPD) officer based in Calverton, whose life was tragically cut short six years prior while intervening in a robbery, has initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against the two individuals found guilty of causing her beloved’s demise. These convicts recently gained financial compensation totaling $367,500, a move that further triggered the lawsuit. Leanne Simpson brought the suit to court in response to the death of her husband, NYPD Det. Brian Simpson, who was accidentally killed by the gunfire of a fellow officer during a failed robbery effort in Queens around 2019.
Mrs. Simpson submitted the lawsuit this Wednesday, leveraging the Son of Sam law, a statute preventing lawbreakers from gaining from their illegal deeds. This legal move was triggered when she learned of the financial windfall awarded to the two individuals found guilty in her spouse’s death, specifically, Jagger Freeman from Queens and Christopher Ransom hailing from Brooklyn, who were given $243,900 and $123,600 respectively.
Freeman and Ranson were incorporated in the group of over 4,000 individuals held before trial who lodged a class-action lawsuit against the city. They claimed they were wrongfully segregated and confined in minuscule cells within Rikers Island and the now-defunct Manhattan Detention Complex. They alleged this unsavory treatment spanned from March 2018 to June 2022, locking them up for nearly the entirety of each day.
The city folded, agreeing to compensate the detainees more than $53 million in April 2023. Depending on the duration of their confinement in such harsh conditions, the settlement sums awarded varied from one class member to another. The fact that Freeman and Ranson were part of this class-action litigation had not seen the light of day until now.
In a Wednesday discussion, Mrs. Simpson described the settlement as a disrespectful gesture towards her family and a slight on her deceased husband’s memory. She confessed to being astounded and dismayed upon learning of it. In her eyes, it seemed as though victims were being slapped in the face by awarding monetary gain to those who had inflicted harm upon them.
She expressed her disheartenment and indignation, lamenting, ‘The perpetrators of our dear ones are being rewarded… It’s an unthinkable state of affairs. I’ve lost everything, and here these individuals are reaping rewards for it.’ Since its enactment, the Son of Sam law has observed amendments to encompass any financial benefits attained, either directly or via proxy, arising from an inmate’s unlawful activities.
‘I find it absolutely ludicrous that these prisoners are benefiting from such extensive monies,’ asserted James. Come February 12, 2019, NYPD Det. Brian Simpson dedicated his life to the service of the NYPD, making the ultimate sacrifice while upholding the law in Queens.
On the notorious day of February 19, 2019, Simpson, then aged 42, was critically seared into the annals of the NYPD when he was fatally wounded. This occurred when he ventured, while off duty, into the attempted armed hold-up taking place at a T-Mobile store in Richmond Hill, Queens.
The responding officers discharged their weapons a staggering 42 times within a span of 11 seconds. Tragically, Simpson, a nearly two-decade-long veteran of the NYPD force, caught a deadly bullet to the chest amidst the chaotic crossfire. His direct superior, NYPD Sgt. Matthew Gorman from Seaford, took a bullet to the left leg but was fortunate to recover eventually.
Ransom, upon entering the store with a fake gun mimicking a black pistol, aimed it towards police officers. He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree aggravated manslaughter and first-degree robbery and was handed a prison term of 33 years. He now serves his time at the Green Haven Correctional Facility situated in Stormville, New York.
As for Freeman, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery for his role as a sentinel during the robbery. The court handed him a sentence oscillating between 30 years to life, which he now serves at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York.
Should Simpson’s lawsuit be successful, it would claw back the entirety of the compensations received by Freeman and Ransom. Furthermore, the lawsuit might expand to demand additional punitive and compensatory damages.
Mrs. Simpson emphasized that the underlying issue was not about monetary gain for her. Rather, she said, ‘It’s more about the principle of the matter.’