'Left him to die': Man was beaten, killed in New Year's Eve assault, prosecutors say

A Mount Auburn man is on trial for murder in Northern Kentucky, with prosecutors saying he repeatedly beat and killed 60-year-old Randel Helton on New Year's Eve 2021.

Ronald Simpson "beat Randel Helton until he was bloodied and bruised and left him to die," said Emily Arnzen, Kenton County assistant commonwealth's attorney.

Simpson's trial started Tuesday and is expected to conclude by the end of the week.

Helton was found dead at his Hermes Avenue apartment in Covington on the morning of New Year's Day 2022, prosecutors said in court filings.

The assault, which is alleged to have happened over a period of several hours, occurred the night before on New Year's Eve, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say surveillance video shows Simpson, 57, assaulting Helton on the apartment's balcony – at times in the presence of Helton's girlfriend – though what happened inside the apartment was not recorded on video.

A criminal citation says Simpson threw Helton out of the apartment and into a metal railing causing "significant" injuries to his head.

Helton was thrown out of the apartment several times, prosecutors say, and managed, at least once, to get back inside by climbing through a bedroom window.

Helton's body was covered in bruises from the assault, prosecutors said, adding a medical examiner determined he died by strangulation and blunt force trauma to his head, neck, torso and extremities.

Arnzen said no single injury was responsible for his death, but rather the combination of his wounds limited his ability to breathe and ultimately caused his body to shut down.

Prosecutors said Helton was left unconscious in the bedroom and it wasn't until the next morning that a neighbor called 911.

Blood was found by police on walls, windows and floors throughout the apartment, the citation states.

A trash can was filled with wet, bloody towels and a shirt Simpson wore the night of the incident, Arnzen said.

Joe Tutro, Simpson's public defender, said his client was in "utter and complete shock" when he learned of Helton's death the morning of Jan. 1, 2022.

Simpson was the first person to greet police when they arrived on the scene and he continued to cooperate with them prior to his February 2022 arrest, Tutro said.

He was at the apartments that night waiting for his wife, who lived there as the couple was separated at the time, Tutro said, adding Helton's girlfriend invited Simpson in while he waited.

Tutro said Simpson ended up staying at the apartment all night, and during that time Helton was rude and aggressive, adding that he used offensive language toward Simpson.

Several times during the night, Tutro said, Simpson guided Helton outside so he could "get some air."

Body camera video shows Simpson tell police he believed Helton was intoxicated and that Helton may have been injured during a fall. He denied getting into a fight with Helton.

Simspon was initially charged with first-degree manslaughter but a grand jury later indicted him on a murder charge, court records show.

He's also facing a persistent felony offender charge. Prosecutors said Simpson has multiple previous felony convictions in Kenton and Campbell counties including on charges of burglary, escape and theft.

The case is being heard before Kenton County Circuit Judge Kathleen Lape.