Alleged Killer Remains At Large

Story update ... as of 6:50 a.m. on Dec. 21, there are no police reports indicating William Gary Simpson has been apprehended.

Seventeen hours after suspected killer William Gary Simpson allegedly stabbed a Murrieta teen to death, wounded two others, and then escaped on foot, he’s not in custody.

But an intensive manhunt is on for the 19-year-old “armed and dangerous” suspect, according to Lt. Tony Conrad of the Murrieta Police Department.

“We’re doing everything we possibly can,” Conrad said Tuesday night of the search for Simpson.

The Murrieta Police Department contacted other law enforcement agencies today and outside resources are being used in the search efforts, Conrad said. California Highway Patrol, Border Patrol, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department resources are being utilized, according to Conrad.

Murrieta is the only Southwest Riverside city that maintains its own police force and does not contract with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services.

Conrad would not discuss the search specifics because he said it could jeopardize the manhunt and investigation.

Conrad did confirm that a dog from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was called in for the search.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Joseph Borja would not comment on the ongoing search or investigation because Murrieta PD is the lead agency, he said. When asked whether the department had been contacted for assistance in the investigation, he referred Patch to Murrieta PD.

For its part, Conrad said in the last 20 years Murrieta PD has only seen two unsolved homicides.

As for this investigation, he said, “Everything is being done.”

Simpson is accused of stabbing to death Murrieta Valley High School senior Saskia Burke, 18.

According to police reports, Simpson was in the Burke family home in the 40000 block of Milkwood Lane in Murrieta early this morning, when, at approximately 3:55 a.m., he allegedly stabbed Saskia. She succumbed to her wounds at 4:11 a.m., according to the Riverside County Coroner's Office.

During the knife attack, Simpson also wounded Saskia’s father and her 17-year-old boyfriend, according to police. Both males were transported to a local hospital and had to undergo surgery as a result of their wounds, police reported today.

Simpson, who is from Hesperia, lived at the Burke home at one point more than a year ago, police and neighbors said. He apparently left his parent's High Desert home to live at the Murrieta residence in the past, but wasn't expected to return Tuesday, Murrieta PD Captain Dennis Vrooman said.

To escape capture after the alleged attack, Simpson reportedly fled through the backdoor of the Burke home on foot. A large-scale manhunt by Murrieta police ensued. At one point police had sealed off an area near Via Reata and Via Silva, but turned up empty handed.

Murrieta as the search for Simpson continues. He is described as an “armed and dangerous” black male, 6-feet-tall, weighing between 120 and 130 pounds.

Anyone with information about Simpson’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Murrieta Police Department’s dispatch line at 951-696-3615. --David Leonard contributed to this report.