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News (Media Awareness Project) - US NY: Killing, Drugs Shocked Family
Title:US NY: Killing, Drugs Shocked Family
Published On:2008-05-16
Source:Watertown Daily Times (NY)
Fetched On:2008-05-16 16:33:28
KILLING, DRUGS SHOCKED FAMILY

'A Great Guy': Rifle, Stash Of Marijuana Were Out Of Character,
Brother-In-Law Says

WINTHROP - The death of a town of Stockholm man in a Tuesday morning
shooting and the discovery of a massive amount of marijuana and cash
at his home shocked those who knew him, his brother-in-law said.

Daniel P. Simonds, 31, of 649 Porter Lynch Road, died Tuesday morning
at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vt., after being wounded
about 12:40 a.m. during an altercation with at least three people who
fled in two sport utility vehicles.

In the aftermath of the killing, investigators found 140 pounds of
high-grade marijuana valued at $2,000 to $3,000 per pound, $50,000 to
$60,000 in cash and a Russian-made hunting rifle at the Simonds home.
The death came as a shock to his brother-in-law.

"I really wouldn't think it was his. If it was, he was living a
totally different life than we ever knew," said Brian C. Derushia,
Water Street, Nicholville. "It was a surprise to a lot of people."

Mr. Derushia described Mr. Simonds as "a great guy."

"I have known him since he was probably 15. We grew up together. We
worked together at Dow Electric. We are both electricians."

Mr. Simonds left Dow Electric of Malone for a period, working on his
own on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, said Anthony D. Dow. He had
returned to work at Dow Electric within the past few weeks, Mr. Dow
said.

The father of four children, ages 4 through 13, Mr. Simonds separated
from his wife, Jessica, about a year ago and moved to the Porter Lynch
Road from a home on County Route 51 near Fort Jackson. But, Mr.
Derushia said, he and his wife handled the separation "like adults"
and he remained close to his family.

"He loved his kids," Mr. Derushia said.

The search for suspects in the killing continued Thursday with
investigators fanning out from a command post set up by St. Lawrence
County sheriff's deputies at the Brasher-Winthrop fire station.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call the command
post at 389-1537 or the Sheriff's Department in Canton at 379-2222,
Sheriff Kevin M. Wells said.

A search of the area around the Simonds home, which Mr. Simonds was
leasing with the intent to purchase, according to Mr. Wells, led to
the discovery of a bloodstained hooded sweat shirt along Mahoney Road
a few miles from the shooting scene.

Sheriff's investigators are being assisted by state police, including
forensic technicians and members of its major crimes unit from Troop B
headquarters in Ray Brook, and federal Drug Enforcement Administration
agents. As of Thursday afternoon, investigators said that they felt
they were making progress but had no specific suspects yet.
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