A federal court jury needed about two hours before deciding a St. Johnsbury man was guilty

A federal court jury needed about two hours before deciding a St. Johnsbury man was guilty of kidnapping a 23-year-old mother and her son four years ago, stealing two cars, and taking them across state lines. The jury found Everett A. Simpson, 45, had forced the mother into her car and that he drove her against her will from Manchester, N.H. to the White River Junction area in Vermont on Jan. 5, 2019. Simpson had testified he did not consider it an abduction and claimed he had known the woman for five years, but the prosecution showed they never had a relationship. The extraction from cellphones and computers showed they had never communicated, including agreeing to meet in Manchester, N.H., at the time and day of the crime.