Georgia mother accused of killing toddler son wants statements to police thrown out

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia mother who is accused of killing her son and then concealing his death has asked a judge to throw out statements that she made to the police.

Quinton Simon, who was 20 months old, was reported missing from his Chatham County home on Oct. 5, 2022.

In the days following the 6-week search for the child, Leilani Simon, his mother, was arrested and charged with his death.

Investigators believe Leilani Simon put Quinton’s body in a dumpster, which ultimately ended up in a Chatham County landfill. His remains were found just before Thanksgiving on Nov. 21.

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The case’s lead investigator testified during a hearing Tuesday as prosecutors played hours of interviews between Simon and law enforcement following her son’s disappearance, WTOC-TV reported.

Her attorney claims that during some of those interviews, Simon invoked her 5th Amendment rights to remain silent and to have an attorney present.

Simon’s attorneys said all of her statements afterward should be revoked and that police could no longer contact her to come in for further interviews.

But the state pushed back, saying Simon’s 5th Amendment rights had no legal impact because they did not happen while she was not in police custody and that the statements to police were voluntary.

The judge in the case did not make a ruling on Tuesday.

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