Update on the Alfredo Simon Situation

So what happens if Alfredo Simon doesn't report to Spring Training by the mandatory February 26th date?  Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun has the details.

"But with news today that his attempt to get bail was rejected by a Dominican judge, it has become an almost certainty that Simon won’t be in Sarasota on Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers are supposed to report.  That is a voluntary date, however. The mandatory date for all players to report to spring training is Feb. 26.  Although the Orioles aren’t publicly commenting, one can make the jump that they will keep Simon on their 40-man roster until then. Once he doesn’t report by the mandatory date, they can move him to the sport’s restricted list, which is for players unable to perform baseball duties for reasons other than injury."

I'm not surprised that Simon's request for bail was rejected.  Based on the information I've seen coming out of the Dominican Republic, his case looks less than promising.  While Simon has only been charged with manslaughter, he's also been accused (but not charged with) of bribery and evidence tampering.  At this point, it's neither clear if these allegations are true, nor certain as to how they'll play out in court.  Still, the fact these allegations exist can't help his case.

Unless there's some shocking new development, I think it's a safe bet that Simon will miss the entire 2011 season.

Where Are They Now? Alfredo Simon Edition

In a prison in Puerto Plata.  On to other news…

According to several eye witness accounts, Alfredo Simon was not the man who fired the fatal shot killing his 25 year old cousin, Michael Esteban Castillo. 

His agent, Phil Isaac, spent much of the weekend in the Dominican Republic talking with attorneys and those close to the case.  Based on the evidence he’s heard, he was led to believe that Simon was “quite a distance” away from the spot where Castillo was killed.  Isaac had this to say on Simon’s behalf:

"There are a few witnesses that will come forward that we have spoken to and that the attorneys have spoken to that will testify — if it comes to that — that under no circumstances whatsoever could Alfredo have fired the fatal shot," said Isaac, who along with his brother, Alex, represents Simon.

What did we really expect him to say?  He’s Simon’s agent.  Even if he received some damning information against his client, he wasn’t going to come out and say, “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious Simon did it.  Lock him up.”  Isaac is trying to promote his client’s best interests, which makes the validity of Isaac’s statements dubious at best. 

Issac went on to say that the results of the ballistics test would be released today.  He, of course, believes the results of this report will exonerate his client.  I’m not so sure.  Considering last week’s report regarding the inconsistencies in serial numbers on the gun surrendered by Simon, I think report will actually pose more questions than it answers.  It’s certainly possible that the fatal bullet came from Simon’s gun, but not the barrel he turned into the cops.  What happened to the original barrel?  Why was it swapped?  Did Simon swap the barrels consciously?  These are all questions that need to be answered.

Not surprisingly, the names of these supposed eye witnesses have not been made available to the press or public.  Until I hear otherwise, I’m going to assume these eye witnesses are members of Simon’s Dominican Republic entourage who may or may not have been offered a bribe.  Maybe I’m being a bit cynical, but with all of the twists and turns this case has taken, I wouldn’t be shocked by anything.  

Trials and Tribulations of Alfredo Simon

The Alfredo Simon case keeps more bizarre.  Now, it appears Simon may’ve tried to bribe Castillo’s family.  (Note:  The link is in Spanish.  Nick Collais of MLB Trade Rumors translated it for Hardball Talk.) 

“We’ve come so that justice will be done, because we understand that people are in support of him being released, and we want justice. He has offered money, but money doesn’t pay for the death of my son. My son’s death is non-negotiable.”

Between this story and the one yesterday about him swapping gun barrels between the time of the shooting and his surrender to authorities, Simon’s defense case looks to be paper thin.  There’s still a lot of police work still to be done, but it really all comes down to the official ballistics test report. 

It’s important to remember that there are two sides to every story. Obviously, Castillo’s mother is carrying an intense amount of grief as a result of the death of her son.  Occasionally, in extreme circumstances such as this, a person will make a desperate maneuver in hopes of bringing a suspect to justice.  More than anything, Castillo’s mother wants someone to be held accountable for her son’s death.  While she would likely prefer the guilty party to be brought to justice, the suspect’s guilt is immaterial.  Her motivation is to end her suffering as quickly as possible, so that she can begin the healing process.  The only way she can begin to recover is by “knowing” her son’s killer has been sent to jail.  Knowing this, we need to be cognizant of the possibility that she’s making the whole bribe story up in order to not only strengthen the case against Simon,  I certainly hope that’s not the case, but we still need to be leery nonetheless.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Simon Manslaughter Case Takes Interesting Twist

Just when you thought things were looking up for Alfredo Simon, information like this gets comes to light.

A Dominican prosecutor handling the case of Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon said Wednesday the "trigger-happy" pitcher might have changed the barrel of a gun he turned over to authorities as a way of disguising his involvement in a fatal New Year's Day shooting.

According to chief prosecutor Victor Mueses the serial numbers on the gun and barrel don't match.  If this is true, that would mean that at some point between the shooting and his surrender to authorities, Simon swapped out gun barrels.   I'm not a cop or a lawyer, but this sounds like Simon may end up facing tampering charges in addition to involuntary manslaughter.  Yikes!

Mueses mentioned to reporters that he received a tape of the New Years Eve festivities, if you will.  While he would not go into specifics regarding the tape, he referred to Simon as having the reputation for being "trigger happy."  According to the news website Puerto Plata Hablo, Simon had been summoned and warned on numerous occasions about firing his gun in public.  When asked why his gun was confiscated, Muesus replied, "We thought that by calling him into our office, we could resolve the problem."  Apparently, not so much...    

It's too early to make judgments regarding the merits of the Simon case.  As Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra (who is a former lawyer) points out, "the statements of prosecutors in high-profile criminal cases mere days after the event are often calculated to influence the potential jury pool and make the suspect seem as guilty as hell."  Still, this potential evidence looks really bad.  Really, really, really bad.

Preliminary Ballistics Report Indicates Simon Innocent

All may not be lost for Alfredo Simon after all.

A "preliminary forensics report" absolves Baltimore Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon in the New Year's killing of a man in the northern coastal town of Luperon, his lawyer said Tuesday, but police expressed skepticism.

"The ballistics tests have been favorable," lawyer Carlos Olivares told CNN in a telephone interview. "We are waiting for the formal report."

For those unaware of the situation, let me catch you up.   During a New Year's Eve celebration in the Dominican Republic, gun shots were fired into the air that ended up not only killing 25 year old Michael Esteban Castillo, but also injuring his 17 year old brother.  Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon was named as their primary suspect in the murder case.  Within 24 hours, Simon surrendered to authorities on murder charges.  After further investigation, those charges were reduced to involuntary manslaughter.     

The preliminary ballistic report indicates that the bullets that killed Castillo were not fired from Simon's gun.  If the official report confirms these findings, then it would absolve him of the charges of involuntary manslaughter.   The report that was released yesterday was a preliminary report, so we need to exercise the appropriate level of skepticism.  Furthermore, it's still pretty early in the investigation, and there's a ton of police work still to be done.  Authorities have three months to formally indict Simon, and most expect the prosecution to move quickly if the ballistics reports confirm Simon as the killer.

Stay tuned.  I'm sure there is a lot more to come.

Alfredo Simon Wanted for Murder

Well, this is just sad.

Baltimore Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in the New Year's Eve killing of a man in the Dominican Republic, police said Sunday.

The pitcher shot and killed 25-year-old Michel Castillo Almonte and wounded his 17-year-old brother during a New Year's Eve celebration in the northeast coastal town of Luperon, police said in a statement. No motive was disclosed. Simon is from the Dominican Republic, and police said he fled after the violence.

As I understand it, Simon is negotiating his surrender to authorities at some point over the next few hours.  Once he does, he'll be brought to justice.  If convicted, he could receive up to 30 years in jail.

Last season, Simon, 29, went 4-2 with a 4.93 ERA and 17 saves in 21 chances.  Despite the fact that he seemed to stabilize Baltimore's closer situation, that really wasn't the case.  Simon pitched below the replacement level in 2010, and gave up more than his share of gopher balls to go along with a mediocre 37/22 K/BB ratio in 49.1 innings.  Simon was expected to be a key member of the Orioles bullpen in 2011.