A Georgia woman who reported her 20-month-old son missing in 2022 and launched a massive search until his remains were found in a landfill was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for his murder.
Leilani Simon was convicted last month of murdering Quinton Simon. She was sentenced by a Chatham County court to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
“The one thing I want to say before I pass sentence is that the life and death of little Quinton Simon has had an impact on so many individuals, but also on the community as a whole,” Chatham County Judge Tammy Stokes said .
Simon reported on October 5, 2022 that her son was missing from their home in Chatham County, near Savannah.
Authorities quickly said they believed Quinton was dead and Simon was the prime suspect. His body was found in a landfill about five weeks after he was reported missing.
Simon was arrested in November 2022 and indicted on murder and other charges the following month.
Quinton Simon.
The indictment alleged that Simon caused Quinton’s death with an unknown object that caused “serious bodily harm” and then dumped him in a garbage can about three miles from her home.
A jury convicted Simon last month of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, concealing the death of another, and other counts related to false reports and false statements.
Simon was sentenced to life in prison and an additional ten years.
She stood up as the sentence was read and nodded, apparently in confirmation, as the sentence was read. She didn’t speak.
Before she concluded Thursday’s hearing, Stokes made an additional comment.
“May there be peace one way or another,” she said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
