The trial of Leilani Simon, a 24-year-old Georgia resident, began this week. Simon stands accused of the brutal murder of her toddler son, Quinton, and the subsequent disposal of his remains in a dumpster. The prosecution has presented evidence suggesting that Simon was grappling with relationship issues and substance abuse in the days leading up to the tragic incident. They also pointed out that Simon provided the police with a series of inconsistent narratives.
During her interaction with law enforcement, Simon alleged that she had visited a remote dumpster late at night shortly after her son went missing. She claimed to have discarded spoiled shrimp pasta there. In December 2022, Simon was indicted on 19 criminal charges, including malice murder, felony murder, concealing a death, and providing false statements to the police concerning Quinton’s death.
The prosecution alleges that Simon intentionally caused her son’s death on October 5, 2022, using an unidentified object. This act resulted in severe bodily harm to the child, ultimately leading to his death. The felony murder charges stem from allegations that Simon committed the murder while also engaging in felonious acts of aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty.
In his opening remarks, Special Assistant District Attorney Tim Dean of Savannah, Georgia, highlighted Simon’s explanation for her presence at the Azalea Mobile Home Plaza dumpster around 1 a.m. on the morning her son was reported missing. Dean suggested that Simon’s claim of disposing of “stinky shrimp pasta” was a cover-up for the disposal of Quinton’s body.
A recording of a police interview conducted on October 12, 2022, was played in court. In the recording, Simon can be heard telling the detective that she had discarded trash due to the foul smell of spoiled food in her car. She likened the odor to that of spoiled shrimp pasta and stated that she had taken the opportunity to dispose of the trash when she saw the dumpster.
However, the prosecution contends that Simon was actually disposing of her son’s body, which they claim was later found dismembered. Dean told the jury that Simon had breached the sacred trust of parenthood in the most horrific way by killing her son, driving his body to a dumpster, and discarding him like refuse.
The indictment alleges that Simon repeatedly deceived local and federal investigators during the search for Quinton. She reportedly confessed to leaving her home late at night on October 4, 2022, to meet her drug dealer, but falsely claimed that the purpose of the meeting was to settle a drug debt. Simon also allegedly lied about her whereabouts and actions on the morning of October 5, 2022, in several subsequent interviews with investigators.
On November 21, 2022, the day she was arrested, Simon reportedly admitted to leaving her house on the morning of October 5, 2022, and traveling to the Azalea Mobile Home Plaza. However, she allegedly told investigators that she could not recall what she had done there. Human remains were discovered in the landfill on November 18, 2022, and the FBI confirmed that the remains were Quinton’s on November 28.