One of the most notorious killers in Arizona's history, Angela Simpson, tortured, strangled, and dismembered a disabled man. The reason was her suspicion that he might be a "snitch."

In August 2009, this brutal murder was uncovered by the police in Phoenix. When a residential dumpster was reported to be on fire, authorities found burned human remains inside. Fingerprint tests indicated that the remains belonged to Terry Neely, a resident of a local assisted living facility.

Shortly after the horrific discovery, Simpson, already in prison for an unrelated crime, confessed to killing Neely. Her chilling confession was so terrifying that it inspired the fictional psychopathic assassin Villanelle character in the thriller series Killing Eve.

Encountering a Cold-Blooded Killer

Phoenix Police DepartmentAngela Simpson showed no remorse for killing disabled man Terry Neely, who used a wheelchair.

Angela Simpson was born on November 29, 1975, and claimed to have a long history of mental illness; this struggle began at the age of 10. She also reportedly started using drugs at a young age and had four children as she grew up, but now refuses to talk about them.

Little is known about Simpson's life aside from the murder she committed.

The murder began on August 2, 2009, shortly after 46-year-old Terry Neely left his assisted living facility in his wheelchair. Shortly thereafter, he was lured into an apartment by 33-year-old Angela Simpson, whom he knew.

YouTubeTerry Neely was a 46-year-old disabled man using a powered wheelchair and living in an assisted living facility.

Simpson told Neely that if he entered the apartment, she would give him "sex and drugs." Instead, she began to torture him mercilessly.

For three days, Simpson beat Neely with a tire iron, stabbed him at least 50 times with multiple knives, drove a three-inch nail into his head, and knocked out his teeth. She also forced her victim to watch his torture and held a mirror up to him. She later said, "He needed to see what he deserved."

Eventually, Simpson slit Neely's throat and strangled him to death with a television cord. She then dismembered her victim's body and disposed of the remains in a residential dumpster to burn.

How Angela Simpson Was Caught

MurderpediaAngela Simpson was convicted of first-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison.

What Angela Simpson did not know was that the assisted living facility where Terry Neely lived had filed a missing person report. Her plan to dispose of Neely's remains failed; because on August 5, firefighters arrived at the dumpster and recovered the body parts.

Fingerprint tests on the remains confirmed they belonged to the missing Neely, and the police quickly began a murder investigation.

A few days later, Neely's wheelchairs were found near the apartment of 36-year-old Edward McFarland, a familiar associate of Simpson. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, investigators searched another apartment that Simpson and McFarland frequently visited and found bloodstains belonging to Neely inside.

Additionally, a witness reported to the police that at one point, smoke was seen coming from that apartment. Upon investigation, a Phoenix city dumpster was spotted in the kitchen. The same witness also stated that Simpson and McFarland wanted to borrow a car and that Simpson had confessed to killing Neely, threatening the witness.

When Simpson and McFarland were questioned by the police, both were already in jail for an unrelated armed robbery charge. On August 18, Simpson openly admitted to killing Neely. She later became nationally notorious for her motivation and apparent lack of remorse.

Angela Simpson's Remorseless Confession

YouTubeIn an interview from prison, Angela Simpson laughed while discussing killing her victim, Terry Neely.

Angela Simpson claimed she killed Terry Neely because he was a "snitch" and justified her actions by saying he "snitched on the right person years ago... He told me that." However, the Phoenix police department had no record of Neely ever being a snitch.

Still, Simpson insisted Neely was a snitch and said he "deserved it." She expressed no remorse for the murder and stated that the only thing she regretted was not being able to kill other snitches.

In 2009, shortly after her arrest, she defended her horrific actions in an interview with 3TV, saying, "I don’t want my kids or people I consider family to be in a place where there are snitches." She added, "I believe snitches and child molesters should be killed... period."

Later, on March 22, 2012, she was found guilty of first-degree murder. Following that, she was sentenced to life in prison, with an additional 14 years for other crimes. (Meanwhile, alleged accomplice McFarland was charged with a felony for concealing a dead body and obstructing the investigation.)

During her sentencing hearing in 2012, in another 3TV interview, she stated she was not bothered by receiving a life sentence: "You know, I have a lot of family in prison... I’m happy with this situation. I’m happy with this situation. I have a lot of sisters in prison. I can’t wait to see them. Spending my life with my family is not a punishment."

Again, when asked if she would kill again, she replied, "If the opportunity arises, I hope so."

Simpson's interviews from prison were so chilling that they inspired the fictional assassin Villanelle in the series Killing Eve. The show's creator, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, said in an interview with The New York Times, "I dug a hole in Google about female assassins." Waller-Bridge noted that Simpson stood out among other female killers: "She seems more psychopathic than anyone has ever voiced before."

Controversially, an audio recording of one of Simpson's prison interviews went viral on TikTok in 2021.

According to Newsweek, many users shared this quote from Simpson while lip-syncing:

"He told me many times he was a snitch. I took him to my house, walked him down the street, why is the media claiming this man couldn’t walk, he walked just fine. I took him upstairs, beat him, and killed him."

After this audio recording, a man asked, "Do you really think he was a snitch?" and Simpson replied, "If not, oops. Yes, I believe he was a snitch."

Simpson has shown no remorse for killing an innocent man and is still in prison today, serving her life sentence.