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The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has officially charged a San Jose man with murder for allegedly killing the mother and brother of his ex-girlfriend inside the family’s Pleasanton home last week.
Allen Swadley was arraigned Tuesday on two counts of first-degree murder and a slew of special allegations for the deaths of 67-year-old Lori Simonds and her son, 28-year-old Evan James Simonds. The probable cause declaration and criminal complaint filed in court offer additional details about the grisly double homicide and the police case against Swadley.
“During an interview under Miranda, Swadley admitted to being at the victims’ house at the time of the murders,” Pleasanton Police Department Detective Nickolas Skaggs wrote in his declaration.
According to Skaggs’ report, PPD received a 911 call on Feb. 18 at around 10:05 a.m. from a pool cleaner who was working at the Simonds home, which is located on Joanne Circle right across the street from the Ken Mercer Sports Park. Skaggs said the individual believed he heard “four gunshots fired, a female voice screaming, and then two more gunshots fired coming from inside”.
“The reporting party was scared and left the scene to wait for officers down the street,” Skaggs stated.
About six minutes later, officers arrived at the scene and found the bodies of Lori and Evan Simonds. No firearm was located at the residence, according to the police report.
Lori Simonds’ daughter was at work in Dublin when all of this happened, the detective said. Police asked her if she knew of anyone who would have wanted to harm her or her family, which is when she named the man she dated until the relationship ended in late December.
“She advised her ex-boyfriend, Allen Swadley … was the only subject she knew who owned firearms and knew where the family hid their housekey outside the home because he used to often stay the night at the residence,” Skaggs wrote in his report.
During their investigation, PPD crime analysts checked for any vehicles registered to Swadley and were able to locate his car thanks to automated license plate reader cameras. Those cameras revealed that Swadley’s car was seen traveling southbound on Hopyard Road around 9 a.m. on Feb. 18, approximately one hour before the shooting occurred.
“Swadley’s vehicle was captured by residential surveillance on Parkside Drive, driving towards the victims’ residence before the murders,” Skaggs wrote.
PPD also noted Swadley was scheduled to work the afternoon of the shooting but just one hour before he was supposed to clock in, he called into work stating “he would not be present due to his mother being sick”.
Police said he did not report to work the following day as well.
After PPD obtained a warrant for his arrest, San Jose Police Department officers located Swadley’s car in the west side of San Jose just before midnight Friday and after conducting a stop, officers arrested Swadley and transported him back to Pleasanton. Multiple firearms were allegedly recovered from Swadley’s vehicle and residence, but police said they still needed to conduct tests to determine if any of the guns were used during the crime.
According to a SJPD press release, a passenger was with Swadley that night but PPD Lt. Nicholas Albert told the Weekly that the passenger was “not charged with any crime and is not believed to be connected with the crime”.
After spending a weekend at the Santa Rita Jail — including marking his birthday on Friday behind bars — Swadley was charged and arraigned on Tuesday on two felony counts of murder, special circumstances and other allegations.
According to the criminal complaint document, Swadley “did unlawfully, and with malice aforethought, murder,” Lori Simonds and her son Evan, who was an aspiring pro wrestler and a 2016 graduate of Amador Valley High School.
“It is further alleged … that the manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism,” the document states.
Special circumstances were also filed against Swadley, which included personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and felony murder in the course of a burglary.
“It is further alleged that the murder of Lori Simonds was committed by Allen Joshua Swadley while the said defendant was/were engaged in the commission of the crime burglary,” the criminal complaint reads.
“Swadley is not suspected of taking any items from the victim’s home during the homicide or following it,” Albert explained. “With that said, anytime someone enters a business or residence, with the intent to commit a felony, they are guilty of burglary.”
A separate burglary was reported the day after the double homicide, but according to Albert, that Feb. 19 burglary is not connected to the homicide investigation.
“The burglary which was reported on Feb. 19th is not directly connected to the homicide investigation,” Albert said. “Unfortunately, when the public becomes aware of a crime, there are those who seek to take advantage of tragedy … The subsequent burglary and vehicle theft is currently under investigation.”
Swadley faces a lengthy prison sentence if convicted — he currently remains behind bars and is being held at the jail without bond. According to the Alameda County Inmate Locator, his next court date will be a plea hearing on March 9.
A GoFundMe campaign, “Support for Melissa After Tragic Loss”, is still active and collecting donations to cover funeral and other costs in support of the victims’ daughter and younger sister – the lone surviving member of the immediate family. The effort had raised more than $79,000 as of Wednesday morning.
