What to Know
- Clinton Simpson died about 3 a.m. at JPS hospital after being struck in the head.
- Simpson accused of molesting 12 kids at a miniature train station he operated at his home - Mr. Don's Whistle Stop.
- Until recently Simpson had been in state hospitals after having been declared incompetent to stand trial.
One of the most notorious accused child molesters in Tarrant County history was killed in jail Wednesday, officials say.
Clinton Simpson, 76, died of blunt force injuries of the head which he received in the Lon Evans Corrections Center in downtown Fort Worth, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner said.
Simpson was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital at 3:09 a.m. Wednesday, according to the medical examiner's website. Simpson's death is the first homicide in the Tarrant County Jail in recent memory.
David McClelland, chief of staff at the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, said Texas Rangers are investigating the homicide and that another inmate was involved.
Police later confirmed that fellow inmate David Faustino Flores, 42, was charged with murder in Simpson's death. He was in jail after being arrested Oct. 7 and accused of beating a 72-year-old store clerk. A bond of $50,000 was added on the murder charge.
Simpson, of Keller, was arrested in 2007 after 12 children accused him of molesting them at a miniature train station he operated at his home. He called it "Mr. Don's Whistle Stop."
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Simpson had been declared incompetent to stand trial and had spent years in state hospitals.
He was recently found to be competent and was returned to the Tarrant County Jail to stand trial, said Tarrant County District Attorney spokeswoman Sam Jordan.
