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SAVANNAH, Ga. — Opening statements began Monday within the trial of a Georgia lady accused of killing her 20-month-old son and dumping his physique in a trash bin two years in the past.
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Leilani Simon, of Savannah, has been indicted on 19 expenses that accuse her of malice homicide, felony homicide, concealing the loss of life of one other and making false statements within the loss of life of her son, Quinton Simon. She has pleaded not responsible.
Simon known as 911 the morning of Oct. 5, 2022, to report her son was lacking from his indoor playpen at their house exterior Savannah. After police spent days looking out the house and surrounding neighborhood, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley mentioned that investigators believed the kid was lifeless. He additionally named Simon as the only real suspect.
Police and FBI brokers centered their investigation on a landfill two weeks after the boy was reported lacking. They sifted by trash for greater than a month earlier than discovering human bones, which DNA checks confirmed belonged to Quinton.
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In opening statements Monday, prosecutor Tim Dean outlined the turmoil in Simon’s life on the time of her son’s disappearance, particularly her deteriorating relationship together with her then-boyfriend, Daniel Youngkin, WTOC-TV reported. Dean mentioned Simon spent the late hours of Oct. 4 and into Oct. 5 getting excessive off cocaine and Percocet, killing her son, placing him within the trash after which going to sleep.
“She killed him, her personal son, bought in her automotive along with his physique, drove to a dumpster, and threw him away like a chunk of trash,” Dean mentioned.
Movies of Simon’s interviews with police and physique digicam footage was additionally proven to jurors. Dean mentioned Simon modified her story about her whereabouts a number of instances. Almost every week after the interviews, Simon modified her story once more to say she might need blacked out and doesn’t keep in mind what actually occurred.
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“I’ll by no means contact cocaine once more. I grow to be indignant and impulsive once I’m on it,” Simon mentioned within the 2022 police interview.
Within the virtually two hours Dean spent laying out the case towards Simon, he by no means mentioned how prosecutors imagine she killed her son. The state has mentioned that the kid’s physique was too decomposed when it was recovered to inform how he died.
In distinction, the protection took simply three minutes for his or her opening assertion, which accused the state of basing its case on rumor and hypothesis, not onerous proof.
“The core conclusion is that Leilani Maree Simon murdered her baby. The proof will merely not help that daring conclusion,” mentioned protection legal professional Robert Persse.
One of many first witnesses for the prosecution was Sgt. Bobby Stewart, the primary officer to reach on scene when the toddler was reported lacking. Stewart testified about Simon’s demeanor when he arrived.
“Did you view her demeanor as according to that of different mother and father you’ve spoken to in lacking kids instances?” the prosecutor requested.
“No sir, I didn’t,” Stewart replied.
Extra testimony was anticipated Tuesday, together with extra Chatham County Police Division workers and the kid’s babysitter and her daughter.
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