"You have destroyed me, and you have destroyed my trust in
you...
I will see you in Hell."
Taken from a letter written to his daughter after she
reported him for molesting her.
Simmons
was well known in his town, Cloudcroft, New Mexico. He was
someone most people feared. "He had a beer in his hand all
the time. He had one little room he would stay in all the
time. It was dark and seemed spooky, and it stunk," said a
friend of his daughters.
In 1981 Simmons and his family fled town when he was
reported for fucking his daughter. He was seen giving her
more than friendly kisses good-bye each morning and
eventually she admitted she was pregnant with his baby.
Charges were filed, but eventually dropped as the Simmons
family disappeared.
They surfaced in Russellville, Arkansas. His wife attempted
to leave him on numerous occasions, but always returned. It
would seem she made one too many attempts.
On December 22, 1987 Simmons went out to the local Wal-Mart
and bought a .22 calibre handgun (you gotta love the US gun
laws). He then went home and beat, then shot his wife and
son, Gene. He then strangled his 3-year-old daughter. Once
he'd had a beer he dumped the bodies in a cess-pit in the
backyard (he had ordered his kids dig the hole days before).
When his other children arrived home he told them he had a
present for each, but had to give them one at a time.
Loretta, 17, was first to get her present. She was beaten,
strangled, then drowned in her in a rain barrel (whatever
that is). He then gave very similar presents to the
remaining children Eddy, Marianne and Becky.
On December 26 Simmons eldest son, Billy, and his wife
arrived for a Christmas visit with their son, Trae. Their
bodies were found with the rest. The adults had been shot,
the child drowned. Later in the day Simmons favorite
daughter Sheila and her husband arrived with their child.
Michael, and Simmon's own child (the one his daughter had),
Sylvia. Once again the adults were shot and the kids were
drowned. All these bodies were then lined up in the lounge
room of Simmons house, and stayed that way for days.
A few days later Simmons drove into town and found Kathy
Kendrick, 24, who had earlier ignored his come-ons. He shot
the bitch. He then met up with James D. Chaffin, 33, who he
worked with. He killed him too. He went into a Mini mart and
shot another woman (this one survived), then found another
ex-workmate and shot her as well (she also survived).
Simmons was eventually arrested and his family were found.
Simmons pleaded for the death sentence at his first trial
(for the final two murders), and got it.
And at his second trial (for his family) he attacked the
prosecutor, punching him in the face, and attempted top grab
a deputy's handgun. This took place as the jury were about
to go into deliberation. Not a good thing to have in their
minds just before they were about to decide on his life. He
received a heap more death sentences.
He was executed by lethal injection on June 25, 1990.
INTERESTING BITS
For some
bizarre reason he soaked the bodies in kerosene, he said he
believed that it would stop the smell coming out of the
ground and attracting animals and people.
Simmons's death warrant was signed by Bill Clinton.
While on Death Row Simmons had to be separated from other
prisoners as his life was threatened constantly. This was
because he refused to appeal his death sentence. The other
prisoners believed Simmons was damaging their chances of
beating their own death sentence.
"To those who oppose the death penalty in my particular
case, anything short of death would be cruel and unusual
punishment." - Simmons statement before the court at his
first trial.
After Simmons had a stay of execution put in place the local
Sheriff showed his concern for human life: "I'm angry that a
country such as we live in can go through with this kind of
thing,
I had hoped our U.S. Supreme Court judges would have a
little more sense than to listen to some cockeyed death row
inmate."
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