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The man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s mother and brother in Pleasanton briefly appeared in court Monday morning during his first plea hearing, where his attorney ultimately did not enter a plea.
Allen Swadley, 32, of San Jose is now awaiting his next plea hearing, which is scheduled for March 20 at 9 a.m. at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. He faces 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, who were both found with multiple gunshot wounds at their home near the Ken Mercer Sports Park on Feb. 18.
His defense attorney, Robert Daniel Byers, told the judge Monday that they were still working out some details regarding Swadley’s case, which is why he delayed entering a plea at the time.
Swadley briefly appeared behind the protective glass inside the courtroom but did not say anything except for a brief exchange of whispers to his attorney before heading back to jail.
Since his arrest on Feb. 20, the Weekly has also learned that Swadley spent some time working at Foothill High School, according to a community notice sent out by Foothill Principal Sebastian Bull on the day of Swadley’s arrest.
“We want to inform you that an individual identified in today’s Pleasanton Police Department press release worked on the Foothill High School campus this year as an athletic trainer through our contracted partnership with Stanford Children’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center,” Bull stated.
Swadley’s photo and job description on Stanford’s website was taken down almost immediately following his arrest last month.
“This matter is not connected to Foothill High School,” Bull added, noting that while Swadley did work on campus, no Foothill students or staff were involved in the double homicide case.
The Weekly reached out to PUSD for additional comment but was told that the district would not be commenting further.
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 nearly $86,000 as of Monday morning.
Stoner U, a wrestling dojo in Oakland, will also be hosting a memorial show this Friday for Evan James Simonds, an aspiring wrestler who used the moniker “The Sex Hawk” Lars Lugar.
“The Home of Higher Learning will be honoring our fallen brother Evan James ‘Lars Luger’ Simonds,” the March 13 event description states. “Come celebrate his life and love of our sport. All proceeds will go to supporting his family.”
