Mom Breaks Down in Tears in Court After Being Accused of Killing Toddler and Dumping His Body in Landfill
( Image: Chatham County Detention Center)
Leilani Simon, a mother accused of murdering her 20-month-old son Quinton Simon and disposing of his body in a landfill, broke down in tears as opening statements were read at the start of her trial. Simon, from Savannah, has been indicted on 19 charges, including malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another, and making false statements. She has pleaded not guilty.
On October 5, 2022, Simon called 911, claiming her son was missing from his playpen at their home near Savannah. After extensive searches of the home and surrounding area, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley announced that investigators believed Quinton was dead, identifying Simon as the sole suspect.
Two weeks after the boy was reported missing, police and FBI agents shifted their investigation to a landfill, where they searched for over a month. Eventually, human remains were found, and DNA tests confirmed they belonged to Quinton Simon.
During Monday’s opening statements, prosecutor Tim Dean outlined the chaotic state of Simon’s life at the time of her son’s disappearance. He specifically pointed to her deteriorating relationship with her then-boyfriend, Daniel Youngkin, and her drug use.
Dean claimed that Simon spent the night of October 4 and the early morning hours of October 5 under the influence of cocaine and Percocet, during which she killed her son, placed his body in a trash bin, and went to sleep. “She killed him, her own son, got in her car with his body, drove to a dumpster, and threw him away like a piece of trash,” Dean told the jury, WTOC-TV reported.
Prosecutors showed videos of Simon’s interviews with police and body camera footage, highlighting how she changed her story multiple times. Nearly a week after her initial interviews, Simon claimed she might have blacked out and couldn’t remember what happened.
In a police interview from 2022, Simon admitted, “I will never touch cocaine again. I become angry and impulsive when I’m on it.” However, the prosecution has not specified exactly how they believe Quinton was killed, noting that the child’s body was too decomposed to determine a cause of death.
In contrast, the defense took just three minutes for their opening statement, accusing the prosecution of building a case based on rumors and speculation. “The core conclusion is that Leilani Maree Simon murdered her child. The evidence will simply not support that bold conclusion,” defense attorney Robert Persse said.
The first prosecution witness, Sgt. Bobby Stewart, testified about Simon’s demeanor when he arrived at the scene after the toddler was reported missing. When asked if her behavior was typical of parents in similar situations, Stewart responded, “No sir, I didn’t.” More testimony, including statements from Chatham County Police employees and the child’s babysitter, is expected as the trial continues.
