170: Simon Says Murder

In 1999, Isaac Grimes was a freshman at Palmer Springs High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  He was a quiet kid who liked to read and didn’t have many friends.  But early that year, he met a charismatic high school senior named Simon Sue. They shared an interest in chess and video games, and Simon took the younger, nerdy Isaac under his wing. Simon asked Isaac to join his club called the O.A.R.A., the Operations and Reconnaissance Agents. For a young boy desperate to fit in with others, hanging out with Simon and being invited to join his club was irresistible. But the club moved on from harmless activities, like chess, to plotting a triple murder. Simon took Isaac and classmate Jonathan Matheny to a local range to practice shooting weapons.  Then he ordered them to kill Isaac’s former best friend, Tony Dutcher, and his grandparents in cold blood. Tony, Carl, and Joanna Dutcher were murdered on New Year’s Eve 2000.  But as details emerged, the truth about the suspects and their motives were unclear.  Did Simon Sue brainwash the two 15-year-olds or were all of the boys equally responsible? www.tiegrabber.com/teamperks