Florida Charges Michael Simpson Jr., 51, With Attempted Murder in Lobster-Spot Air Cutoff Case
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 7
Florida Charges Michael Simpson Jr., 51, With Attempted Murder in Lobster-Spot Air Cutoff Case
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 7
Summary
$10,000 bond freed Michael Simpson Jr. after Miami-Dade authorities jailed the 51-year-old on an attempted felony murder count tied to a July 29 lobster-diving dispute in Biscayne Bay.
Sheriff's investigators say Simpson swam to diver Hunter Coffer's Brownie's third-lung air system and shut it off after an argument over a claimed lobster spot, leaving Coffer gasping, disoriented and tangled until boat owner Steven Del Sol pulled him up.
Witness photos and video allegedly show Simpson swimming away from the air unit before departing on a 39-foot Contender boat, while a companion Conch boat had circled the area and argued that Del Sol's group had stolen its spot.
Howard Srebnick, Simpson's lawyer, called the allegations false, said video shows an accuser fell and became entangled while Simpson was nowhere near the device, and argued prosecutors should decline formal charges.