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Simon Says: A True Story of Boys and Murder in the Rocky Mountain West
On a frigid New Year’s Eve, just twenty months after the Columbine massacre, three teenage boys carefully plotted the murder of a schoolmate and his grandparents at their mountain hideaway outside of Colorado Springs. The boys’ leader, Simon Sue, was responsible for strong-arming the others into believing they were members of a secret paramilitary organization-and that their very lives depended on successfully executing the organization’s mission.” Simon Says tells the page-turning story of how these boys’ lives could have gone so horribly astray, how their parents assumed all was right in their sons’ lives, and what the fallout of the grisly murders was on all the families. Through painstaking research, journalist Kathryn Eastburn gets into the minds of these boys to reveal a place where the rites of passage to young manhood, to acceptance, come at an exorbitant price.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
328 pages, Hardcover
First published December 25, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 29, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “SENSELESS MURDERS, BY TEENAGERS WITH NO SENSE!”
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The shocking teen violence and depravity in this country that a decade ago seemed like a horrid anomaly, unfortunately now seems to have become a weekly occurrence. On New Year’s Eve 2000 in the rural countryside outside of Colorado Springs, just twenty months after the Columbine massacre, a Grandmother, Grandfather and their fifteen year old Grandson were brutally and senselessly murdered.
The investigation that followed revealed that four teenage boys with ages that ranged from fifteen to nineteen years old were involved in committing the murders, planning the murders, and destroying crucial evidence. One of the boys, fifteen year old Isaac Grimes, who was later convicted of murdering fifteen year old Tony Dutcher by slitting his throat from behind with a knife in such a heinous way as described in the court records: “at issue, is the brutality with which the defendant killed Tony. The autopsy showed he sawed back and forth.” “The D.A. demonstrated a sawing motion with his hand against the loose skin of his own neck.” “He severed the spinal cord, not just the spinal column.” What makes this repulsive crime even more incredulous is the fact that Isaac and Tony used to be best friends.
The Grandparent’s Carl and Joanna Dutcher were slaughtered in a salvo of bullets. But the backdrop of this horrendous crime that joggles the imagination and all human sensibilities, is the relationship and “pecking order” of the four teenage criminal sociopaths Simon Sue, Jon Matheny, Isaac Grimes and to a lesser extent Glen Urban. (He destroyed evidence.) Simon at nineteen was the oldest high school student and he filled the role as a “Svengali” like leader. His parents were originally from Guyana a small South American country. None of the future criminals had many real friends, so Simon targeted them to become part of a non-existent “secret” paramilitary organization, “Operations and Reconnaissance Agents” (OARA). Simon said “OARA stood ready to serve should a coup arise against the standing Guyanese government, the People’s Progressive Party. Under Simon’s tutelage the boys learned to assemble and disassemble weapons, practiced shooting and planned and carried out burglaries. All without any of their parents knowing what was going on. When Simon demanded they murder Tony Dutcher and his Grandparents while Simon was conveniently out of the country, the other boys followed orders, later saying Simon’s threats to murder their families kept them from telling anyone.
After the murders the police and CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) during the course of their investigation turned up among other things at Simon’s house alone; THIRTY SIX GUNS, MOST OF THEM MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES, WEDGED INTO A CLOSET… THEY TAGGED UZIS, SKS,’S AND AK-47’S. As heart wrenching as the murders themselves are, the domino “death-affect” tremors of loss to all surviving family members is just as important in the telling of this tragic senseless crime. Charles Dutcher alone lost his son and his Mother and Father. The authors writing style is not poetic, nor does it revive memories of Hemingway or other famous authors. But what the author does succeed at is terrific investigative reporting. There is not a wasted chapter or a wasted page. The reader is taken step by step through this entire sordid mess. She cannot give you the big answers, because that’s the problem with this heart-breaking catastrophe, no logical person with a heart beating with even an ounce of humanity can answer the questions that this story and far too many stories like this raise. As many scientists state: “THE BEST EXPERIMENTS CREATE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS” AND PERHAPS THIS BOOK SHOULD BE FILED UNDER THE SAME HEADING!
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The shocking teen violence and depravity in this country that a decade ago seemed like a horrid anomaly, unfortunately now seems to have become a weekly occurrence. On New Year’s Eve 2000 in the rural countryside outside of Colorado Springs, just twenty months after the Columbine massacre, a Grandmother, Grandfather and their fifteen year old Grandson were brutally and senselessly murdered.
The investigation that followed revealed that four teenage boys with ages that ranged from fifteen to nineteen years old were involved in committing the murders, planning the murders, and destroying crucial evidence. One of the boys, fifteen year old Isaac Grimes, who was later convicted of murdering fifteen year old Tony Dutcher by slitting his throat from behind with a knife in such a heinous way as described in the court records: “at issue, is the brutality with which the defendant killed Tony. The autopsy showed he sawed back and forth.” “The D.A. demonstrated a sawing motion with his hand against the loose skin of his own neck.” “He severed the spinal cord, not just the spinal column.” What makes this repulsive crime even more incredulous is the fact that Isaac and Tony used to be best friends.
The Grandparent’s Carl and Joanna Dutcher were slaughtered in a salvo of bullets. But the backdrop of this horrendous crime that joggles the imagination and all human sensibilities, is the relationship and “pecking order” of the four teenage criminal sociopaths Simon Sue, Jon Matheny, Isaac Grimes and to a lesser extent Glen Urban. (He destroyed evidence.) Simon at nineteen was the oldest high school student and he filled the role as a “Svengali” like leader. His parents were originally from Guyana a small South American country. None of the future criminals had many real friends, so Simon targeted them to become part of a non-existent “secret” paramilitary organization, “Operations and Reconnaissance Agents” (OARA). Simon said “OARA stood ready to serve should a coup arise against the standing Guyanese government, the People’s Progressive Party. Under Simon’s tutelage the boys learned to assemble and disassemble weapons, practiced shooting and planned and carried out burglaries. All without any of their parents knowing what was going on. When Simon demanded they murder Tony Dutcher and his Grandparents while Simon was conveniently out of the country, the other boys followed orders, later saying Simon’s threats to murder their families kept them from telling anyone.
After the murders the police and CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) during the course of their investigation turned up among other things at Simon’s house alone; THIRTY SIX GUNS, MOST OF THEM MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES, WEDGED INTO A CLOSET… THEY TAGGED UZIS, SKS,’S AND AK-47’S. As heart wrenching as the murders themselves are, the domino “death-affect” tremors of loss to all surviving family members is just as important in the telling of this tragic senseless crime. Charles Dutcher alone lost his son and his Mother and Father. The authors writing style is not poetic, nor does it revive memories of Hemingway or other famous authors. But what the author does succeed at is terrific investigative reporting. There is not a wasted chapter or a wasted page. The reader is taken step by step through this entire sordid mess. She cannot give you the big answers, because that’s the problem with this heart-breaking catastrophe, no logical person with a heart beating with even an ounce of humanity can answer the questions that this story and far too many stories like this raise. As many scientists state: “THE BEST EXPERIMENTS CREATE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS” AND PERHAPS THIS BOOK SHOULD BE FILED UNDER THE SAME HEADING!
June 16, 2018
I love the first 2/3 of this book and although I strongly felt that it could have been more condensed (or just scrapped the last 1/3 altogether) this was an awesomely terrifying read, so 5 Stars. The power or peer pressure, brain washing, status, and what some children will do to feel like they apart of something great...shook me to the core.
Eye opening and bewildering.
Eye opening and bewildering.
August 5, 2020
Whoa! Interesting (albeit very sad) story. Kathryn Eastburn does a great job of covering the story from multiple angles. I read this book over the course of two days. Could not put it down.
It’s so hard to believe that something so terrible could have happened the way it did. My heart goes out to the families that were impacted by this awful tragedy.
It’s so hard to believe that something so terrible could have happened the way it did. My heart goes out to the families that were impacted by this awful tragedy.
July 5, 2020
Creepy story! And so close to home!
June 3, 2020
Not bad. Quick true crime read.
March 3, 2013
It's no mean trick to fashion a true crime book that is neither overly-sensational nor exploitative, but still reports the grizzly details and is beautifully written. I read this whole book in one greedy swallow fostered by a sunny afternoon and way too much coffee. The book details a day in 2000 when Tony Dutcher and his grandparents were brutally murdered in Colorado Springs by Isaac Grimes, a troubled boy who believed he was part of a paramilitary organization based in Ghana. If this sounds unbelievable to you then you underestimate the manipulative skill of compulsive liars and the aggressive bullying styles of probable sociopaths like Simon Sue, the boy operating at the base of the carnage and encouraging violence in ways that will make you squirm.
In many instances truth is more frightening than fiction, and for these reasons the story had to be formed by careful hands that would allow each reader an authentic individual emotional reaction -- the sort that can only be gleaned from pure reporting. Eastburn allows the story to progress naturally, with detail harvested from countless interviews with parents, the boys themselves, and endless others with intimate knowledge. Her reliability as a narrator is assured through both the absence of bias, and the pains taken to recreate the voice of each individual involved. Perhaps her history as a reporter in Colorado Springs not only cemented trust, but also ensured responsible, accurate handling of such terrible murders and the aftermath.
This book is not just good true crime, but a model of how it should be done.
In many instances truth is more frightening than fiction, and for these reasons the story had to be formed by careful hands that would allow each reader an authentic individual emotional reaction -- the sort that can only be gleaned from pure reporting. Eastburn allows the story to progress naturally, with detail harvested from countless interviews with parents, the boys themselves, and endless others with intimate knowledge. Her reliability as a narrator is assured through both the absence of bias, and the pains taken to recreate the voice of each individual involved. Perhaps her history as a reporter in Colorado Springs not only cemented trust, but also ensured responsible, accurate handling of such terrible murders and the aftermath.
This book is not just good true crime, but a model of how it should be done.
May 10, 2012
This is a passable true crime novel that tells the story of the gruesome murders of the Dutcher family on their property in Colorado. The murderers turned out to be young teenagers who were the friends of the youngest victim, Tony (barely fifteen at the time of his death) orchestrated by the nineteen-year-old Simon Sue. Though this book does describe the crime and process of punishment quite fully and succinctly, and does a good job of telling the emotional story of the people involved, I originally picked up this book for some sort of commentary on how or why Simon Sue directed the murders. The reasons and psychology were, I felt, rarely touched on, which was disappointing because that was the whole reason I picked the book up in the first place. Without something to learn from, or draw a conclusion about, the book leans toward simple horror-story territory. There seems to be no moral or explanation for these events, and that seems to be the entire sucker-punch of the narrative. But that's not enough for me. An act like murder isn't completely inexplicable. Obviously, I can't completely fault the author since the murderers themselves have not ventured to speak to anyone or allow their acts to be disseminated. I would have liked something, though.
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December 8, 2021It's hard to review this book because I knew Simon, although not well. I would say that I considered John a friend. I went to school with these guys for years and it's shocking what happened. Simon was intelligent and charismatic. John was funny and an genuinely nice guy. He even stuck up for me once when my boyfriend at the time was being verbally abusive. The other boys were younger than us and I didn't know them. It's really an awful tragedy for all involved. I'm glad the author didn't try to portray it as some kind of Columbine situation.
It was a decently written book, but I wish the author could have gotten interviews from Simon. I don't think she got interviews with the Dutcher family either. It's been a long time since I read it. As much as I liked John and Simon it just goes to show you never know what someone is really capable of. It's so sad that none of these guys decided to go to the police, or their parents, and warn them before this could take place. My heart goes out to the Dutcher family.
It was a decently written book, but I wish the author could have gotten interviews from Simon. I don't think she got interviews with the Dutcher family either. It's been a long time since I read it. As much as I liked John and Simon it just goes to show you never know what someone is really capable of. It's so sad that none of these guys decided to go to the police, or their parents, and warn them before this could take place. My heart goes out to the Dutcher family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2008
A compelling read! Since the crime was committed close to home and the author is a woman that I read religiously in the alternative paper here in Colorado Springs, I was riveted to the pages. Kathryn Eastburn is a smart cookie and is able to assimilate all of the gory facts of this crime without exposing us to any more than a heart wrenching impact the whole thing had on many lives. Her tapestry of other lives and events during the long trials and hearings and legal goings on gives the story a place in history and U.S. violence. She also depicts the seasons on the long drives she had to make in all weather to the courthouse in Fairplay, Colorado from her home in Colorado Springs. Her descriptions of the Platte and the snow and the trees and the brown or green fields are just what I have seenwhen I have driven in that area. It was startling to me to see people that I actually know mentioned in the courthouse scenes.
May 3, 2008
It was OK. Scary, really when you think how easily adolescents can be manipulated when they are lonely...I remember wondering if when I was young and lonely, if I'd bumped into Charlie Manson and his group and been courted by them and made to feel part of their community, whether I'd be in prison today. I was strangely eager to go along with the crowd if the result was that I belonged. Guess I sort of understand the gang culture, Hitler Youth, etc. in that twisted way...
Good thing I grew up near the beach, if I'd had all that time and loneliness in an urban setting I think my path would have been very different. Despite the sun damage to my skin, those hours at T Street were beneficial for me in many ways!!
Anyway, unsettling, compelling, and a quick read.
Good thing I grew up near the beach, if I'd had all that time and loneliness in an urban setting I think my path would have been very different. Despite the sun damage to my skin, those hours at T Street were beneficial for me in many ways!!
Anyway, unsettling, compelling, and a quick read.
June 18, 2014
this book is not that acurret I am summer Dutcher the granddaughter of Carl and Joanna Dutcher. this lady never interviewed my family she only interviewed the boys' family. simon was not a terrorist he was a horrible cold blooded heartless child who killed my family for no reason other then for guns. in my opinion he was a child who acted as an adult. he led three boys to kill my family I do not completely forgive any of them and not because they destroyed years for me to get to know my grandparents and cousin but because the other two boys could have avoided all of this the moment simon spoke of killing by going to the police. but instead of ignoring they'd personal fears and saves everyone's life by going to the police they chose to take three inoccent lives.
February 9, 2016
Due to the horrific subject matter, it is difficult to say that I really liked the book, because it is awful to think that these kids who grew up where I did, and went to school with my sister, could be capable of destroying so much human life and families. Regardless, the book is very well researched and written, with an attempt being made to tell all sides of the story based on facts and evidence. There are not answers given to how as a community we let this happen, or the best way possible to heal from a tragedy such as the Guffey murders, but I think it is important that the story be told to honor the memory of the victims.
March 31, 2008
Completed this book last night. This book has raving reviews on amazon and yes it is a good report but maybe that is just it. A report by a journalist
What happened how those kids came under the influence of Simon, is a question I did not get any answers to. I would have liked to see more information about the boys. the story of the crime was told in 2 pages.
I do think it was worth the read and glad I sticked with it. Felt sorry for the murderer of Tony.
What happened how those kids came under the influence of Simon, is a question I did not get any answers to. I would have liked to see more information about the boys. the story of the crime was told in 2 pages.
I do think it was worth the read and glad I sticked with it. Felt sorry for the murderer of Tony.
July 31, 2009
Fascinating story of the murders by teenages in Guffey, Colorado. The author has a flowery and odd writing style, but I couldn't put it down. I'm sure it is more meaningful because I live in the area, and many of the locations and some of the people mentioned (although not the murderers or their families) are familiar to me.
March 16, 2013
Well written account of a very sad tale of young boys who are led astray by their charismatic friend. The results are tragic and affects many. The author shows all sides of the story and how the families of all cope in the aftermath. There is no happy ending. This is real life and very sad.
January 18, 2008
chilling story; interesting writing style; do you really know your kids?
March 2, 2008
I knew this kid...
January 12, 2011
I was fascinated since this was a local story. Very well written account of a very disturbing series of events, made a bit surreal as I regularly pass by many of the locations described.
June 12, 2011
A well-written reporting of the grisly murders of a classmate and his grandparents by Palmer High School students led by an evil mastermind - who couldn't spend enough time in prison to suit me.
December 9, 2012
I read this book in one evening. Started late - around 9 pm. And I couldn't put it down.
January 18, 2016
Heartbreaking story. Not a quick read.
March 22, 2008
Hard to read. Hard to put down. It really took me back to those two years.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews