Quinton Simon's mom Leilani slapped with 19 charges in toddler's death including malice and felony murder
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA: The mother of slain Georgia toddler Quinton Simon was slapped with malice and felony murder charges as well as a number of other crimes, the district attorney's office in the area stated on Wednesday, December 14. According to Shalena Cook-Jones, the district attorney for Chatham County, Leilani Simon is charged with 19 counts in connection with the death of her two-year-old son.
Jones claims that Leilani Simon was indicted by the grand jury for one count of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and one count of concealing another person's death. Leilani, 22, is also accused of lying to the police on 14 counts and reporting a false crime, per reports from New York Post. This week, Billie Jo Howell, Quinton's grandmother, was arrested on what looked to be a separate contempt of court case unrelated to the toddler's death. She was checked into the county jail on Monday, December 12, according to records from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office.
READ MORE
Billie Jo Howell: Grandmother of slain Georgia toddler Quinton Simon arrested for contempt of court
“As your district attorney, I realize that this matter is really important to our community and also to the inquiring minds both here and beyond our community that want to know what happened to baby Quinton and how it happened,” Jones said during a press conference. She added, “That curiosity is not lost on me, however, there’s more evidence that may be revealed during the course of this investigation and I say that to remind you all that this is an ongoing criminal investigation.”
Quinton was allegedly attacked with an unknown instrument by Leilani, who then dumped his lifeless body in a dumpster at the Azalea Mobile Home Plaza, according to the grand jury's indictment.
Leilani allegedly claimed in the indictment that she was only disposing of "normal household garbage" and claimed in a television interview in late October that she wanted baby Quinton to be found "happy and alive" and denied any participation in her child's disappearance. However, she admitted, according to the indictment, that she left her house to meet up with her drug dealer, which is charged as a second count of making a false statement. This occurs just hours before she is charged with disposing of the body of her son in a dumpster, per reports from WTOC.
Leilani, who was arrested and charged by the police last month after the boy's bones were discovered in a nearby dump, on October 5, filed a missing person report. She claimed that Quinton was allegedly last seen in the Savannah home, which is shared by Leilani, her boyfriend, her three-year-old son, and her mother, who was the legal guardian of both of her children.
Jones promised her office will use every resource available to ensure the investigation is "properly handled from beginning to end" and stated the case will not be disclosing any material she believed could harm the case. “Not revealing this evidence also ensures that the criminal proceedings remain fair, just, untainted and that this case is not tried in the court of public opinion, but is resolved in a court of law,” she added, “We all know that justice takes time but it should be swift and sure and fair."