A VERDICT has been reached in the harrowing case of a woman accused of killing her 20-month-old toddler and tossing his body in the trash.
Leilani Simon has been unanimously found guilty of all counts, including murder, after nearly two weeks of testimony from 33 different witnesses.
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After eight hours of deliberation over two days, Simon, wearing a green sweater and glasses, walked into the courtroom to hear her fate.
At first, she stood silent as the guilty verdict was read out, but while jury members confirmed their decisions, tears started rolling down her face.
By the end of the hearing, she was breaking down into quiet sobs.
After the bombshell decision was made, the judge thanked the jury for their service, announced that sentencing would be scheduled at a later date, and dismissed the court.
READ MORE ON QUINTON SIMON
Justice came two years after little Quinton Simon was reported missing by his mother, who claimed the toddler was gone and the front door was open when she woke up.
He was last seen in early October 2022, and after an exhaustive 40-day search – during which Simon was named a suspect – the toddler’s remains were recovered at a landfill in Savannah, Georgia.
Simon, a mother of three, was arrested on 19 charges, including malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another, and making false statements.
On day one of Simon’s trial, prosecutor Tim Dean said the mother threw her son away like “a piece of trash.”
A turning point for the trial came when Sophia Zurkee, an officer with the Chatham County Police Department, took the stand to relive the horrendous moment she found Quinton’s remains.
“I was raking through the garbage and I observed a white, small object. It fit in the palm of my hand,” Zurkee said.
“It looked like bone to me.”
Zurkee broke down in tears after a picture of the body part was shown to the court as she tried to describe the feelings running through her mind that day.
“It was heartbreaking,” Zurkee said.
Simon, meanwhile, stared blankly while the officer was so overwhelmed with emotion that she left the stand.
‘MAMA TRIED’
The court also saw a disturbing video Simon recorded, described as a digital suicide clip, in which the troubled mom admitted to failing her children.
“To Skye, Zayne, Quinton, mama tried,” an emotional Simon said in the August 2022 video.
“And mama’s not here no more because she doesn’t love you – I do. I can’t love myself, and if I can’t love myself, how can I love ya’ll? I have tried over, and over, and over, and I’ve failed.”
Dean pointed to a moment in the video where Simon praised each of her children individually but paused when she mentioned Quinton.
“And, Quinton… you are… a little child… You’re so happy all the time, you smile all the time,” Simon says in the video.
“I wish I could see the kind of man you could be, too.”
Dean argued that the video was proof of Simon’s “emotional state.”
Timeline of Quinton Simon’s disappearance
Leilani Simon was put on trial for the death of her 20-month-old son, Quinton Simon, who was missing for weeks before his body was found in a landfill in Savannah, Georgia. Below is a timeline of the events that unfolded:
October 5, 2022, 9:40 am – Leilani Simon calls police and reports Quinton missing, saying she thinks someone ‘came in and took him’
October 10, 2022 – Simon’s mom tells local media that her daughter ‘hasn’t always done the right thing’
October 12, 2022 – Police say they believe Quinton is dead
October 13, 2022 – Police name Simon as the main suspect in the toddler’s disappearance
October 18, 2022 – Police say they believe Quinton’s body is in a landfill
October 19, 2022 – Simon and her mom are pictured drinking at a local bar
October 24, 2022 – Simon breaks her silence to local media and says she hopes Quinton is found alive
November 18, 2022 – Quinton’s remains are found at the Southwest Chatham County landfill
November 21, 2022 – Simon is charged with the murder of her son
October 14, 2024 – Simon’s murder trial begins
October 25, 2024 – Simon is unanimously found guilty of all charges
‘LITERALLY UNSPEAKABLE’
During closing arguments, prosecutor Dean argued the evidence clearly pointed to Simon.
“It’s literally unspeakable. And that is why she could not bring herself to admit it or tell the truth about it – because it is an unspeakable thing for a mother to kill her child,” Dean said.
“They sifted through the garbage and they found the truth…. now it’s your turn.”
But Simon’s lawyer was quick to respond.
“They have speculated wildly, I might add, but they’ve produced no evidence,” defense attorney Martin Hilliar said.
As the judge handed the case to the jury for deliberations, Simon was seen mouthing to her attorney, “Do you know how long the wait will be?”
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