Wanted fugitive, illegal alien from Springfield arrested for brutal 2019 home invasion

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A wanted fugitive and illegal alien from Springfield in custody on Thursday wanted in connection to a gruesome case back in 2019 where a victim was robbed, kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately set on fire.

26-year-old Dushane Jerome Simon was located and arrested on Panama City Beach in Florida by members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Criminal and Special Investigations Divisions along with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

Simon fled Massachusetts before his trial for home invasion and other charges.

He was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet during the attack which was later located on the side I-495.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division say they were contacted about Simon on January 15, 2025, by authorities in Massachusetts who were willing to extradite him to face these charges.

Simon was located a short time later at an apartment on Panama City Beach.

When law enforcement approached, Simon attempted to flee by jumping from a third story balcony into a nearby wooded area.

U.S. marshal task force members quickly capturing him a short distance away.

Dushane Jerome Simon is currently booked as a fugitive from justice at the Bay County Jail.

An ICE hold has been placed place on Simon, a Jamaican citizen.

Simon does not have a valid visa to be in the us and has a prior arrest history and will be deported from the country upon his release from custody.

Simon’s accomplices , 30-year-old Paul Gayle and 24-year-old Malik Erskine have already been found guilty by a Hampden County Superior Court jury.

A third person, identified as a juvenile, was also convicted in the case.

Western Mass News will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.