Lilburn Man Convicted of Murdering Accomplice in Insurance Fraud Scheme

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction of Norman Uriah Simmonds, Jr., a 45-year-old man from Lilburn, in the fatal shooting of Tyrese Washington, 24, in connection with an insurance fraud scheme.

On Thursday, August 8, a jury found Simmonds guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The charges stem from the murder of Washington on August 31, 2019.

The investigation revealed that an off-duty officer from the Douglasville Police Department heard multiple gunshots at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Ashley Creek Circle, Stone Mountain. The officer, guided by a witness, discovered Washington lying face down with a gunshot wound to the head behind one of the apartment buildings.

Prior to his death, Washington had informed a friend that he was going to the apartment complex because someone there owed him money. Phone records showed that Washington received multiple calls and texts from the same number shortly before the shooting.

During the investigation, a special agent from the Georgia Office of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner informed the DeKalb County Police Department that Washington had been involved in a staged U-Haul truck accident in Clarkston as part of an insurance fraud scheme orchestrated by Simmonds. Washington had confessed his involvement in the scheme, stating that Simmonds had promised him $1,000 for his participation, a sum that was never paid.

A search warrant revealed that the phone number repeatedly contacting Washington before the shooting belonged to someone named Anthony Jones, an alias linked to Simmonds. Investigators confirmed that Jones and Simmonds shared the same birthdate and home address. Location data from the phone placed it at Simmonds’ home, the crime scene at the time of the murder, and back at Simmonds’ residence afterward.

Senior Judge Daniel Coursey, presiding over the trial in DeKalb County Superior Court, sentenced Simmonds to Life without the Possibility of Parole plus five years.

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Josh Geller, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Ellie Harris and District Attorney Investigator John Wilbanks. Detective Evans of the DeKalb County Police Department led the initial investigation.