Murder suspect on the run after taking off ankle monitor, vanishing before trial, authorities say
WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - More than two years after an Alaskan man was found shot and buried on his own property, the murder suspect has vanished while awaiting trial.
According to the Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Marshals Service, James Milton Simpson, 43, who faces charges of first- and second-degree murder in the March 2024 death of Richard Proveaux, is missing.
U.S. Marshals are offering up to $6,500 for information leading to Simpson’s arrest and conviction.
Simpson has been under electronic monitoring while waiting to go to trial, but authorities said he has disabled his tracking monitor.
Officials said Simpson removed, tampered with, or disabled his electronic monitoring equipment on or about May 23, while under official detention near Wasilla.
The 43-year-old is facing additional charges of escape in the third degree, a felony, according to the Palmer Superior Court.
Troopers said their investigation began in March 2024 when Proveaux, 40, was reported missing after his partner told them he had not returned home and was not responding to messages.
Surveillance footage from Proveaux’s property showed Simpson arriving shortly after Proveaux that morning. The footage later showed Simpson striking a camera with an object and redirecting it away from its normal field of view, according to a charging affidavit.
Cadaver dog teams located Proveaux’s remains the following day, hidden roughly 10 feet from the southeast corner of his shop and covered with boards, ATV tires and a radiator.
An autopsy found Proveaux had been shot multiple times, including once in the head and three times in the back.
Court documents described a volatile backdrop to the killing. Proveaux’s partner told investigators that Simpson had discovered text messages between the two and was upset.
A friend of Simpson’s told investigators that Simpson had asked him, roughly three weeks before the killing, to help him confront Proveaux over marks found on Simpson’s partner’s neck, a request the friend declined.
After Proveaux’s body was found, investigators said Simpson was already on the move.
A witness told investigators that Simpson asked him for a ride from a secluded area in Wasilla, and that while driving toward Anchorage, Simpson threw an item wrapped in a sweater from the Knik River bridge.
Simpson also allegedly asked the witness to help him clean up a “crime scene.” The witness declined.
Simpson was ultimately found and arrested in Big Lake in late March 2024 with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. He was held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on $100,000 cash-only bail.
The escape charge filed this June marks a significant escalation.
Simpson has a documented criminal history spanning approximately six states, according to the original charging affidavit.
Investigators noted at the time of his 2024 arrest that he posed a flight risk and a potential danger to witnesses.
Anyone with information on Simpson’s whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-926-8332 or submit an online tip.
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