The trial of Leilani Simon, a 24-year-old woman from Georgia, commenced on Monday. Simon is accused of the murder of her 20-month-old son, Quinton, and disposing of his body in a dumpster. Prosecutors informed the jury that Simon had been dealing with relationship problems and drug abuse in the days leading up to her son’s death. She also reportedly gave police a series of inconsistent accounts.
During an interview with the police, Simon claimed that she had stopped at a remote dumpster in the middle of the night shortly after her son’s disappearance to dispose of “spoiled shrimp pasta.” Simon was indicted in December 2022 on 19 criminal charges, including malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another, and making false statements to the police regarding Quinton’s death.
Authorities allege that on October 5, 2022, Simon intentionally killed her son with an unidentified object, causing him serious bodily harm and ultimately leading to his death. The felony murder charges are based on allegations that Simon committed the murder while also engaging in felonious acts of aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty.
In his opening statement, Special Assistant District Attorney Tim Dean of Savannah, Georgia, emphasized Simon’s explanation for her presence at the Azalea Mobile Home Plaza dumpster around 1 a.m. on the morning her son was reported missing. Dean stated that Simon did not want to admit that she had disposed of Quinton’s body, so she described the trash she threw away as “stinky shrimp pasta.”
A recording of the police interview from October 12, 2022, was played in court. In the recording, Simon can be heard telling the detective that she had thrown away trash because of the spoiled food smell in her car. She described the smell as similar to spoiled shrimp pasta and stated that she had taken the opportunity to dispose of the trash when she saw the dumpster.
Prosecutors, however, argue that Simon was actually disposing of her son’s body, which they claim was later found “in pieces.” Dean told the jury that Simon had violated the sacred trust of a parent in the most horrific way by killing her son, driving to a dumpster with his body, and discarding him like trash.
The indictment alleges that Simon repeatedly lied to local and federal investigators during the search for Quinton. She reportedly admitted to leaving her home late at night on October 4, 2022, to meet her drug dealer, but falsely claimed that the purpose of the meeting was to pay off a drug debt. Simon also allegedly lied about her whereabouts and actions on the morning of October 5, 2022, in several subsequent interviews with investigators.
On November 21, 2022, the day she was arrested, Simon reportedly admitted to leaving her house on the morning of October 5, 2022, and traveling to the Azalea Mobile Home Plaza. However, she allegedly told investigators that she could not recall what she had done there. Human remains were found in the landfill on November 18, 2022, and the FBI confirmed that the remains were Quinton’s on November 28.