Ex-Arizona lawmaker turned day laborer held for 'shooting dead man in a hunting party after a day of boozing' 

  • Mark De Simone, 53, is alleged to have shot Duilio Rosales, 34, Sunday
  • The pair were part of a hunting party 35 miles north of Juneau, Alaska
  • Witnesses say they say him mumbling about shooting Rosales 
  • De Simone was Phoenix, Arizona representative from 2006 to 2008
  • He quit after being arrested in a domestic violence incident 
  • He had been working as a day laborer since then 

By James Wilkinson For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

A former Arizona state legislator-turned-day laborer has been accused of drunkenly shooting dead an Alaska man after spending the day boozing at a hunting party.

Mark De Simone, 53, faces murder charges in the shooting death of 34-year-old Duilio Antonio 'Tony' Rosales at Excursion Inlet, a remote hunting spot 35 miles northwest of Juneau.

De Simone represented Phoenix in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2006-2008, until he resigned after allegedly hitting his wife, azcentral.com reported.

Accused: Mark De Simone (pictured), 53, is accused of shooting dead Duilio Rosales, 34, while the pair were in a hunting party in Alaska Sunday. De Simone had been drinking the whole day, police said

Accused: Mark De Simone (pictured), 53, is accused of shooting dead Duilio Rosales, 34, while the pair were in a hunting party in Alaska Sunday. De Simone had been drinking the whole day, police said

He, Rosales and at least five others had gone hunting at weekend, and were at a cabin when the killing occurred around 7pm Sunday. He had been drinking all day when the killing happened, police said.

One of the men in the party said he heard two shots from the front of the building, and when he got there he found Rosales dead, having taken two gunshot wounds to the back of the head.

Assistant District Attorney Amy Paige said it's believed Rosales was killed as he sat at a picnic table, taking off his boots.

Police arrived on the scene at 9:30pm, azcentral reported, to find four men standing with their arms in the air while a fifth men - who had radioed the coast guard to send the police - securing the scene. 

The man gave the cops a .41 magnum revolver, saying it was most likely the gun used in the killing. An officer also noticed De Simone had an empty holster on his hip.

De Simone allegedly told another member of the hunting party: 'I shot Tony. I shot him. It's my fault,' according to an affidavit filed in court.

According to the affidavit, a second witness told Alaska State Trooper Ryan Anderson that De Simone was walking on a trail, mumbling something to the effect that he shot Rosales.  

De Simone was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2006 to June 2008. 

He resigned after being arrested after a domestic dispute with his wife, Mali, who received cuts to her lip and other injuries but refused medical attention. 

Past: De Simone was a House Representative for Phoenix, Arizona, from 2006-2008, but quit after a domestic violence arrest. He had been performing manual labor in Juneau, Alaska, before the shooting

Past: De Simone was a House Representative for Phoenix, Arizona, from 2006-2008, but quit after a domestic violence arrest. He had been performing manual labor in Juneau, Alaska, before the shooting

'Mali told me Mark sat on top of her around the stomach area and started punching her with his closed right hand in the face and arms,' one of the responding officers wrote in a report, according to an azcentral.com article from the time. 

'Mali said she was tired of fighting with Mark and just gave up and let Mark continue hitting her.'

He is then alleged to have thrown her out of the bedroom and locked himself in there with their two children, who were aged five and seven at the time.

Paige told the court that De Simone has only been in Juneau about a month. She said he spent his days 'couch surfing,' and working as a day laborer, possibly at The Jewel Box, the same jewelry store Rosales worked at.  

During Tuesday's hearing, Judge Keith Levy allowed Rosales' widow to address De Simone, according to Juneau Empire.

'I just want to ask him why he did that to my husband! Just give me an answer! Why?' Maria Rosales said in an emotional testimony that occasionally stopped while she wept and put her head on her arms. 

De Simone didn't appear to react, the newspaper reported.

Rosales was originally from Nicaragua and moved to Juneau from Miami five years ago. He worked at a downtown jewelry store, The Jewel Box. The couple have one child in Juneau and another in Nicaragua. 

De Simone is being held at the Lemon Creek Correctional Facility in Juneau on $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 27. 

He faces one count of first-degree murder, two of second-degree murder, one of manslaughter and one of criminally negligent homicide. He has a public defender.

Most watched News videos