BATON ROUGE, La. — BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday for the 23-year-old man accused of killing a Louisiana State University basketball star more than three years ago.
Dyteon Simpson, of Baker, is charged with second-degree murder of 20-year-old Wayde Sims, who was shot in the face when he tried to break up a fight on Sept. 28, 2018, outside a fraternity party near Southern University.
Video of the fight and shooting circulated on social media and ultimately helped investigators identify Simpson as the alleged gunman.
DNA from a pair of glasses found on the scene matched a sample that Simpson gave investigators, authorities said. The glasses were knocked off the shooter’s face during the fight, according to witness statements described in an arrest report.
Simpson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted as charged. He pleaded not guilty in early 2019 and remains jailed as he awaited trial, news outlets reported.
Simpson’s case has been delayed for a variety of reasons including COVID-19 delays, a change of judges and attempts by his defense team to move the trial out of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Sims starred at University High before playing at LSU. His father, Wayne Sims, played basketball at LSU in the late 1980s, when Dale Brown was coach.