Deliberations began Thursday afternoon in the case of accused child killer, Leilani Simon, a Georgia woman accused of killing her toddler son, Quinton Simon.
According to ABC 22, deliberations began at around 3:13 p.m. after Chatham County Judge Stokes asked the jury to deliberate at around 3 p.m.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Simon is accused of murdering her 20-month-old son and disposing of his body in a dumpster. The child’s remains were found about six weeks later in a nearby landfill following extensive search operations.
On October 5, Simon reported Quinton missing, claiming she last saw him at around 6 a.m. that morning.
After weeks of searching and investigating, police announced last month that they believed Quinton’s body would be found in a landfill outside Savannah and that his mother was the sole suspect in his death.
Chatham County Police Officer Sophia Zurkee testified earlier this week that she participated in the initial search for Quinton after the toddler was reported missing from his residence on Buckhalter Road on October 5, 2022.
When the investigation shifted to the landfill, Zurkee mentioned that she offered to assist the search team.
“As one of the initial responders, I was determined to follow through and provide any assistance possible,” she stated.
Zurkee indicated that she took part in the landfill search daily for several weeks. Searchers discovered the toddler’s skull on November 18.
“I was raking through the garbage,” she testified. “And I had observed a white, small object that could fit in the palm of my hand. It looked like bone to me.”
Meanwhile, although Simon didn’t deny that she knew Quinton had died, she alleged that she didn’t remember the two hours he disappeared because she was on a cocaine binge. She ultimately declined to testify on her own behalf.
“Not denying is not admitting,” defense attorney Martin Hilliard said.
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[Feature Photo: Leilani Simon, left, and Quinton Simon/Chatham County Police Department]
