Case Analysis : Roper V. Simmons

Christopher Simmons who was attending high school and eighteen years old at the time was arrested. He was transported to the Fenton police station in Missouri. Simmons was read his Miranda Rights by an officer and he waived his right to have an attorney present during questioning. Simmons agreed to speak with investigators. After being interrogated for nearly two hours Simmons confessed to the murder of Mrs. Crook and agreed to allow the police to videotape him reenacting the murder at the initial crime scene.

One late night, in 1993 in Missouri, Christopher Simmons; a 17 year old boy along with two of his friends robbed a woman by the name of Mrs.Shirley Crook. They broke into her home and the noise startled her making her get up to see who was in the house. Simmons, who has recently been involved in an accident with her recognized her face. Simmons became upset and scared. The three young men left, but came back later to murder her. The three men tied her up, took Crook to a bridge and threw her off it. They went on to tell people about it; boasting about the crime they had just committed. Christopher Simmons had the idea for his friends to come along because they thought

Christopher Simmons was 17 years old when he committed murder, he was arrested in September of 1993 after bragging to his school mates about killing an individual. Simmons thought because of his age the court will be lenient on him. The jury easily found him guilty, he was facing the death penalty. His attorney argued that the courts should take his age into consideration when sentencing Simmons, after all he was a minor when the murder was committed he was not old enough to vote or legally by a drink. The jury sentenced Simmons to death by lethal injection the deciding factor for them was the brutal nature that the crime of how the crime was committed. His case was then appealed to the Supreme court his attorney’s citing his

In Missouri during 1993, Christopher Simmons, a 17-year old, committed capital murder after he instigated two other juveniles (Benjamin and Tessmer) to conspire to kidnap and murder an innocent woman named Shirley Crook. It was never completely determined why exactly Simmons wished to murder Crook, however, he did later admit that Crook was involved in a previous car accident with Simmons. At approximately 2 a.m. on the night of the murder, Simmons and his two friends met up to break into the home of Crook, but Tessmer left before Simmons and Benjamin decided to go through with the heinous crime. Simmons and Benjamin broke into the home of Crook, entered her room, covered her eyes and mouth using duct tape, and bound her hands together. The

Simmons’s attorneys argued that Simmons had no prior convictions and that no previous charges had been filed against him. Simmons’s family also testified on his

Roper, the sentencing of minors would be legal, constitutional and uphold Stanford v. Kentucky; conversely, if the court ruled in favor of the defendant Christopher Simmons, the death sentence of both Simmons and all future juvenile convicts would be considered “cruel and unusual” according to the Eighth Amendment and effectively overturn Stanford v. Kentucky.

Simmons started moving from place to place beginning in late 1981 with his wife and seven children. He was being investigated by the DHS “for allegations that he had fathered a child with his seventeen year old daughter.” Simmons finally settled down in Pope County. He quit many jobs, the last being at Sinclair Mini Mart on December 18, 1987. On December 22, he shot his wife and son. On the same day, Simmons strangled and held his four daughters and son underwater until they died. Four days later, on December 26, he shot his son, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and daughter. Simmons also drowned one of his grandsons, strangled the other grandson, and strangled his granddaughter, which is also his daughter. On December 28, he shot two other people who were not relatives. Before he surrendered to Russellville police, he stated on a phone call, “ It’s all over now. I’ve gotten everybody who wanted to hurt me”.

Simmons, Christopher Simmons committed capital murder and he was an adolescent at the time of the crime, and the “Court ruled that standards of decency have evolved so that executing minors is "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.” according to Oyez.com. This shows that the court feels that minors should be treated differently than adults. Sentencing Graham to life in prison without parole, for only non homicidal crimes on his record is certainly cruel considering his life just started. Throwing away his life this early is not acceptable, the eighth amendment protects him from a punishment so severe for non homicidal

Roper v. Simmons was a supreme court case that was decided in 2004 which dealt with whether it is against the constitution, and falls under cruel and unusual punishment, the execute someone who is under the age of 18. This case was particularly important as it dealt with something that many people were against entirely: the death penalty. A variation of this issue was decided nearly twenty years earlier in Thompson v. Oklahoma when it was decided in a five-to-three ruling that it was not constitutional to execute anyone under the age of 16. There have also been many other landmark cases that have challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty for certain parties such as in Atkins v. Virginia which was decided just three

Roper vs Simmons was considered a landmark case in 2005 in which the Supreme court chose that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty for crimes that have been committed while under the age of 18. The decision was not unanimous, but was a very close 5-4 voting. The voting overturned a previous ruling that the death penalty cannot be enforced for those who are under the age of 16, but 16 and older can receive capital punishment.

Re: Whether the trial court acted appropriately in excusing Mr. Eldridge form paying $3,500 accrued in child support.

Bound v. Smith was a North Carolina case that was filed by three (3) inmates against state administrators under section 1983,1. The facts of the case alleged that the inmates has been deprived of access to the courts in violation of their fourteen (14th) amendment rights by the state’s failure to provide legal research facilities (Shaw, 1978).

The case of Roper v. Simmons began when a minor, aged seventeen, named Christopher Simmons had commited murder. Simmons was only a junior in high school when he had committed the murder (Kennedy). He discussed everything with his fellow students named Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer prior to the murder (Kennedy). Simmons suggested to commit burglary and murder the victim, Shirley Crook, by breaking into her house (Kennedy). The very next day, early in the morning at 2 A.M., they had met outside of Shirley’s house (Kennedy). Tessmer had double thoughts and he left before the other two went to commit the crime (Kennedy). Simmons and Benjamin entered the victim's home by reaching through an open window and unlocking the back door (Kennedy). As they entered, Simmons turned on the hallway light (Kennedy). This disruption would awaken Mrs. Crook. She had called out for prencen in her home, saying, “ Who’s there?” (Kennedy). Answering her, Simmons entered her bedroom. He had recognized her from a car accident that both of them were involved in (Kennedy). Simmons proceeded to use duct tape to cover her mouth and eyes and also bound her hands. later on Simmons and Charles put Mrs. Crook in her minivan and drove her to a state park

Villafana 1 Sarai Villafana Mrs. Kehmeyer ERWC 6 March 2015 Juvenile Justice research paper Minority disagrees that juveniles should have a second chance, but to be punished with a sentence to life in prison.As Latio stated,” Even a 17 and a half year old who sets off a bomb in a crowded mall or guns down a dozen students and teacher is a child and must be given a chance to persuade a judge to permit his release into society..” I strongly believe everyone within the years of 17 and younger should be able to have a second chance. The supreme court is on the right path to abolish mandatory life in prison for juveniles who commit murder. As Lundstrom states, “ but it can be used as evidence that teenagers are not yet adults, and the legal system should not treat them as such” (Lundstrom 88).

Roper v Simmons, Case Number 03-633 (ROPER V. SIMMONS (03-633), 2017), brought before the court October 13, 2004 to March 1, 2005, Roper who was the Superintendent at Potosi Correction Center and Christopher Simmons who is the juvenile offender at the time. Brief Summary of the crime, Christopher Simmons, who was junior in high school at the time of the crime, had told two of his friends that he wanted to kill someone. He planned out the crime, by doing a home invasion. He told his friends that they could break in like a burglary, tie their victim up and through the victim over the nearby bridge. He also, stated to his friends since we are minors we will get away with the crime. Simmons knew the person of interest because he was involved with