Brandon Simonson, Murder and Hate Crime, Illinois 2025

ROCKFORD — Brandon Simonson, 41, of Moorhead, Minn., a prisoner at Thomson Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., has been found guilty of murder and hate crime in the death of his fellow inmate, Matthew Phillips.

The jury delivered the verdict on Tuesday after a seven-day trial in U.S. District Court in Rockford. Simonson was convicted of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hate crime, and assault. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston set sentencing for August 22, 2025.

According to evidence presented at trial, Simonson conspired with co-defendant Kristopher Martin, also known as ‘No Luck,’ to beat Phillips because he was Jewish. Simonson and Martin assaulted Phillips to gain recognition and membership into a white supremacist anti-Semitic prison gang called the Valhalla Bound Skinheads. Evidence showed Simonson punched and kicked Phillips in the face and head, despite Phillips being knocked unconscious and unable to defend himself.

The assault on March 2, 2020, led to Phillips’ death three days later. Martin, 43, of Brazil, Ind., pleaded guilty earlier this year and is awaiting sentencing.

The convictions were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincenza L. Tomlinson and Ronald DeWald.

‘We are grateful to the jury for delivering justice in a very difficult case for Mr. Phillips’ family and the people of the Northern District of Illinois,’ said U.S. Attorney Boutros. ‘The significant convictions in this case are the result of the extraordinary dedication and commitment of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners. We will not tolerate criminal acts such as these anywhere in our district, including in our prison system.’

‘The FBI and our law enforcement partners hold those accountable who compromise the safety or lives of others, even those serving sentences in prison,’ said FBI SAC DePodesta. ‘We continue to ask the public to help keep our communities safe from any acts of violence like those detailed in this case by reporting threatening or suspicious behavior immediately to local law enforcement or the FBI.’

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Brandon Simonson; Charges: Second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hate crime, and assault; City and State: Rockford, IL; Date: March 2, 2020; Sentence: Sentencing set for August 22, 2025.