CNN
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Last week, a jury in Georgia found Leilani Simon guilty of murdering her 20-month-old son as well as a host of other charges, including concealing a death and making false statements. Associated Press.

Simon’s conviction in Savannah It’s been a little more than two years since Chatham County reported her son Quinton missing, initially telling investigators she last saw him at the playground early. One morning in October 2022. Weeks later, the remains of Quinton, then beloved as “Chatham County’s boy,” were discovered in a forest, the police chief said last week. landfill.

The FBI said it “confirmed through DNA analysis that the bones found were those of the toddler.” a statement.

Simon, 24, was indicted on 19 counts, including premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, concealing the death of another, making false statements about a crime and 14 counts of making false statements. After eight days of testimony, the jury found him guilty of all 19 counts, the AP reported.

Simon faces life in prison without parole and sentencing will be handed down at a later date, his lawyer Martin Hilliard told CNN. Simon said he plans to appeal the decision.

At trial, prosecutors presented more than 40 witnesses and nearly 100 pieces of evidence to prove Simon’s claim that he killed Quinton and dumped his body in a dumpster. CNN affiliate WTOC reported.

It was a “complicated case” to be prosecuted because of the nature of the crime and the lack of some evidence considered key to any murder case in the state – including the victim’s autopsy and the cause and manner of death, Chatham County Deputy District Attorney Jenny Parker acknowledged.

“But the law enforcement agencies involved did a very good job investigating this case, and we did our best to present the evidence they had,” Parker told reporters after the verdict.

In its opening statement, the state acknowledged that it did not intend to prove how Simon killed his son, but simply did so – outlining his drug use, his deteriorating relationship with a boyfriend and his changing stories following Quinton’s disappearance. According to WTOC.

The defense argued that the state based its case on hearsay and speculation and that the evidence would not support a murder conviction.

Indeed, as the trial drew to a close, Simon’s lawyers asked the judge to rule that there was insufficient evidence for the jury to find him guilty of the murder charges and concealing the death of another, and requested an outright acquittal on those charges. , WTOC reported. The judge rejected the request.

His attorney, Hilliard, said in an email to CNN on Monday that Simon and his legal team were “disappointed in the decision.” “While we accept the verdict, Ms. Simon will appeal that decision following sentencing at a later date.”

For local officials like Chatham County Police Chief Hadley, the jury’s verdict was a fitting end to a case that began with a community preoccupied with Quinton’s disappearance.

“Quinton Simon truly became a child of Chatham County in the weeks when our community was reeling from his disappearance,” Hadley said Friday. “It is fitting today that 12 men and women from our community delivered the final measure of justice for little Quinton with a guilty verdict.”