The suspect in the murder of a Juneau jeweler on a hunting trip last spring was in court Thursday to discuss the status of his trial, currently set for May 15.
Mark De Simone, a 53-year-old ex-Arizona lawmaker, faces one first-degree murder charge and two second-degree murder charges for allegedly fatally shooting 34-year-old Duilio Antonio “Tony” Rosales. De Simone was also indicted on lesser manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges.
A Juneau-based Alaska State Trooper responded to Excursion Inlet on May 15 after a member of a hunting group sent out a VHF radio message for help saying a man had been shot and killed. The trooper found Rosales under a picnic table, with two gunshot wounds to the back of his head. De Simone reportedly confessed to killing Rosales with a .41 magnum revolver, members of the hunting party said.
On Thursday, Assistant Public Defender Timothy Ayer told Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg he was still waiting for evidence from the crime lab, which could potentially delay the trial. According to Assistant District Attorney Amy Paige, her office had just received a report on latent fingerprints, but was still waiting for DNA results.
A pre-trial hearing remains set for May 8.
