Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 32-year-old Clarence H. Simmons of Buffalo has been arraigned virtually before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller on an indictment charging him with on one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class “A-1” felony.

The defendant is accused of stabbing 22-year-old Arielle Johnson inside an apartment on Parkedge Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda on March 19, 2020.

Simmons is scheduled to return on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. He remains held without bail.

If convicted on the charge, Simmons faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.

DA Flynn commends Det. Lt. Thomas Moore and Det. Jeffrey Campanella of the Town of Tonawanda Police Department for their work in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ashley M. Morgan of the DA’s Homicide Bureau.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.