SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Savannah area mother accused of killing her 20-month-old son and dumping his body in a trash bin two years ago has been found guilty of murder.
A jury on Friday found Leilani Simon guilty of all 19 charges against her in the death of her son, Quinton Simon. That includes counts of malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another and making false statements.
The jury heard eight days of witness testimony and began deliberating Thursday.
During the trial, Quinton’s babysitter, Michelle McCarta, took the stand.
“Quinton loved us. He was close to us. And I just felt like he would be better off at our house,” she said.
McCarta told the court that she kept Quinton overnight on a regular basis and said the child was in poor condition when he was dropped off.
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“He would be in a long onesie, and he would have poop all over. I don’t want to say a baby didn’t smell good, but he smelled like rotten milk. He had rings around his neck. We would immediately bathe him,” McCarta said.
The jury deliberated for about two hours that afternoon before breaking for the day. Jurors resumed their deliberations around 9:30 Friday morning and their unanimous verdict was announced at 2:30 p.m.
Simon called 911 the morning of Oct. 5, 2022, to report her son was missing from his indoor playpen at their home outside Savannah. After police spent days searching the home and surrounding neighborhood, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said that investigators believed the child was dead. He also named Simon as the sole suspect.
Police and FBI agents focused their investigation on a landfill two weeks after the boy was reported missing. They sifted through trash for more than a month before finding human bones, which DNA tests confirmed belonged to Quinton.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley released a statement on the impact Quinton Simon had on their department and their relief he received justice.
We are grateful that the Chatham County Police Department’s two-year quest for justice for Quinton Simon resulted in a guilty verdict today for his killer, Leilani Simon. I would like to personally thank Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones and assistant district attorneys Tim Dean and Jenny Parker for their tireless preparation of this case -- and for the work in the courtroom that led to this conviction.
No one who worked for CCPD on October 5, 2022, will ever forget that day -- or the six weeks that followed. Every single person who worked for our agency – both sworn officers and civilians – played a part in this case. From detectives who worked more than 48 hours straight with no break for sleep when Quinton was first reported missing, to civilians who put in marathon days making sure we had supplies and support for our landfill search – this case took every bit of physical, mental and emotional strength our employees had to offer. I have never been prouder of any group of professionals than I am of that team. They were extraordinary.
Very few law enforcement agencies ever have a case of this scale and magnitude, and we could not have done this work alone.
In addition to the FBI’s invaluable expertise and guidance, we received assistance from law enforcement agencies from both Chatham County and the state of Georgia. We remain incredibly grateful to all of them.
Quinton Simon truly became Chatham County’s child during the weeks that our community was gripped by his disappearance. It is fitting that today, 12 men and women from our county delivered the final measure of justice for little Quinton with their guilty verdict. We hope this brings some measure of peace and comfort to everyone who loved Quinton.
— Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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