A Honolulu man accused of killing his wife seven years ago and dumping her body in the Anza Borrego Desert told a judge he looked forward to returning to San Diego to vindicate his name.
Anthony Edward Simoneau, 46, of Honolulu, Hawaii is in custody awaiting extraditionon one count of murder in the San Diego County homicide investigation.
“I look forward to going back to vindicate myself of these charges,” Simoneau said in court Monday.
The Hawaiian judge held Simoneau without bail while he awaits extradition to San Diego to face a murder charge in connection with the death of his wife 41-year-old Fumiko Ogawa.
Ogawa, a Japanese national, was last seen near her Point Loma home around Jan. 4, 2007.
At the time, it was her family in Japan -- not Simoneau-- who notified police that she was missing. When SDPD investigators interviewed her husband, he told them she had gone to Hawaii, police say.
A body was found in a shallow grave near the Bow Willow Campground on Jan. 20, 2007. Four years later, investigators identified the remains as Ogawa.
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Simoneau has denied killing his wife, but police identified him as a suspect after learning he had sought a divorce before her death.
The defendant has been working as a tour guide. He has a felony theft charge on his record in Hawaii.
If convicted, Simoneau faces 25 years to life in prison.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
