Ex-Arizona lawmaker’s murder trial set for August
Published 12:48 am Tuesday, May 24, 2016
The 53-year-old man accused of murdering a downtown Juneau jeweler during a hunting trip in Excursion Inlet entered a not guilty plea during an arraignment Monday.
Ex-Arizona lawmaker Mark De Simone appeared in Juneau Superior Court after a Juneau grand jury indicted him on Friday. His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 22.
De Simone was indicted on first- and second degree murder charges in connection to the May 15 fatal shooting of 34-year-old Duilio Antonio “Tony” Rosales. De Simone is also facing lesser manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges.
De Simone reportedly confessed to members of the hunting party that he killed Rosales with a .41 magnum revolver, although he did not offer a motive, according to an affidavit. A Juneau-based Alaska State Trooper responded to the scene and found Rosales under a picnic table, with two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, prosecutors say.
Juneau District Court Judge Keith Levy earlier ordered De Simone to be held at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bail.
De Simone resigned from a career in Arizona politics in 2008 after allegations of spousal abuse. He previously lived in Juneau during his teenage years.
