Murder Charges Filed in Fatal ATM Robbery

In a move that allows it to seek the death penalty, the district attorney’s office filed a murder with special circumstances charge Friday against an 18-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a construction worker at a Covina automated teller machine.

Charles Lee Simpson appeared in West Covina’s Citrus Municipal Court on Friday, about a mile from the Wells Fargo Bank where a security camera captured the July 17 murder of Corey Stanfield as he withdrew money from a drive-up ATM.

However, Simpson’s arraignment on one count each of murder and attempted robbery was postponed until Sept. 4. The Covina resident remains in jail without bail.

Both counts allege that Simpson used a handgun during the crimes. Simpson is also charged with the special circumstance of murder committed during an attempted robbery, which allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said that after a preliminary hearing in the case, a committee will decide whether to pursue the death penalty against Simpson.

Simpson surrendered to West Covina police Wednesday after Covina police released the security camera videotape that shows the killing.

Prosecutors allege that Simpson is the man in the videotape.

Stanfield, 23, who had just left a church meeting, stopped at the ATM in an open sport utility vehicle.

The videotape shows that as Stanfield withdrew cash from the drive-up ATM, a man came up from behind, shot him and tried to take his money.