Why Did Christopher Simmons Murder Crooks

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.

Americans hear about all sorts of murders on the news almost every day. It is not strange for us. However, murder of two young children by their own mother is astounding news. In the case of Susan Smith, no matter how she claims she was not in her right mind that night she murdered her children, she is definitely not a victim. There are many alternatives to relieving your duty as a mother. Murder should not be on top of a mother’s list even if she was mentally ill.

First this case was investigated for a rape and murder.  A 16 year old girl named Kimberly Simon was found on a dirt road in Utica, New York. Nobody really knew how this happened or why  this happened. She was found on September 19, 1985. They found that she was murdered by strangulation (National Registry). There were many reasons to why investigators thought a man named Steven

On May 5th, 1993 three eight year old boys were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The boys were found the next day, hog tied in a wooded area called “Robin Hood Hills”. After the case had been “thoroughly” investigated, the West Memphis Police announced on the news that they had found the murderers, pointing fingers at Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, three teenagers who were different from the norm in West Memphis, making it easy for them to be accused. I believe the boys were wrongfully accused of this crime because there is a lack of evidence in the case pointing to the boys, and the crime just seems to convenient for these three to actually pull off.

Victim Ronald Logan testified before the Court that on January 30, 2016 about 5:30 p.m., he was sitting inside of his car outside the Decatur Apartments listening to music when a male, Kilo, approached his car asking if he had changed for a $10.00. Kilo then jumped into the backseat of his car on the passenger side without his permission and pulled out a gun pointing it to the back his head demanding that he “give him everything that he had.” Victim Logan stated that he reached into his pants pocket and gave him $200.00-$300.00. Kilo then instructed for him to crank the car up and drive off. As victim Logan drove out of the apartment complex, Kilo fired a shot in his back causing him to crash into a house a few houses down from the apartment

On September 1, 1956, Peter woodcock had committed his first murder (Bourrie, 2010). Peter Woodcock lured a 7-year-old boy named Wayne Mallette into toronto’s exhibition where he then killed him¬¬¬¬ (Bourrie, 2010). The next month on October 6, 1956, Mr. Woodcock picked up a 9-year-old boy named Gary Morris. Woodcock drove Gary Morris on his bike to cherry beach where he then strangled and killed him (Newton, n.d.). About three months after Peter Woodcock offered a ride to a 4-year-old girl named Carole Voyce. Peter Woodcock sexually assaulted her and killed her (Liam, 2015). Mr. Woodcock was then arrested but then was found not guilty by reason of insanity (Liam, 2015). Mr. Woodcock was placed at Oak Ridge (a psychiatric

The Supreme Court case, Atkins v. Virginia, argues the crime committed by Daryl Atkins. Atkins, with the help of William Jones, abducted Eric Nesbitt. Nesbitt is an airman from a nearby Air Force Base. The boys requested he give them his money. When they realized he only had $60, they brought him to an ATM and forced him to take out an additional $200. After receiving the money, they brought Nesbitt to an isolated area and shot him eight times. The ATM had picked up the robbery on camera, so both boys were quickly identified and arrested. They both came up with stories that the other had pulled the trigger, but it was Atkins whose stories didn’t match up the most. It was a little while after that Atkins’ cellmate reported that Atkins confessed to murdering Nesbitt. A deal was given to Jones so that he would only get life imprisonment if he testified against Atkins. Atkins was then later convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death even though the defense had presented school records showing that his low IQ score is evidence that he is mildly mentally retarded.

Similar to the aforementioned case, Kevin n. Stanford v. Missouri, this story involves a young man by the name of Christopher Simmons as well as two other young men, Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer. At the time of the incident Simmons was still a junior high school, he was 17 years of age, Charles Benjamin was 15 years of age and John Tessmer was then 16. Simmons encouraged both Benjamin and Tessmer to assist him with committing murder. Records indicate that Simmons was in fact the instigator of the crime. Simmons plan was to “commit burglary and murder by breaking and entering, tying up a victim, and throwing the victim off a bridge.” Simmons assured both Benjamin and Tessmer that once the crime was committed they could “get away with it”

Just recently, a middle-ages man has been captured by the local police. Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Thomas Gilliland reported to the Houston Chronicle, ‘…that the relationship between Conley and the victims — who ranged in age from 6 to 50 — remains unclear.’ After the discovery, deputies applied capital murder to the bodies of six-children—ages 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13. A David R. Conley was allegedly involved in an upset with the deputies that ended after the accused killer was persuaded to give in to the demands of the Harris County authorities. On a tip, deputies entered the residence to confront the abusive killing. However, according to sources—at a news conference Sunday afternoon—Chief Deputy Rim Cannon announce that the degree of

Summary of the Case: Shortly after 9 p.m. on 10/23/1984, 21-year-old Christopher Hanson and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Saladena Bishop, were sleeping in Hanson’s truck on Hobart Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, when a man leaning through the open passenger window awakened Bishop. A second man approached the driver’s window and demanded Hanson’s wallet, threatening death. The man then took Hanson’s wallet and stabbed him 10 times. Both men then walked away. Hanson, who had a disorder that prevented his blood from clotting, died at the scene. Police recovered several pieces of a broken knife, a hat and some palm prints. Christopher Hanson’s father, Arthur, who had

On October 2, 1977 in Memphis, Tennessee, a woman was awakened by two armed men who raped her then stole her television. She identified the men as “Polly’s boy” and “Ollie Mae’s Boy”, she was able to give the full name of one and the address of the other. On October 7th McKinney, along with Michael Yancy were arrested for assault and burglary even though they claimed they spent the day at home drinking. McKinney was convicted in Shelby County Criminal Court on June 22, 1978 after the victim identified him in court as one of her attackers. Lawrence testified on his own behalf and said he was offered a deal of five years when he was arrested for the rape to testify against a co-defendant. But he turned it down "because I didn 't know anything about the crime. He and Yancy were sentenced to 100 years in prison for rape and 10 years for burglary.

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

While murderers come in all shapes and sizes, it still comes as a great shock to see a child as the culprit rather than the victim. In the case of Eric Smith, a thirteen-year-old who brutally killed four-year-old Derrick Robie and was tried as an adult and was sentenced to nine years to life in prison. Growing up, Smith was a loner, he didn’t have any friends and was made fun of and was often bullied at school because of his physical appearance. Smith had red hair, freckles, wore thick glasses, and had elongated ears that were protruding. It was also said that Eric Smith suffered physical abuse at home.

If I were a Supreme Court justice in the case of Roper v. Simmons, I would have voted with the dissent due to a multitude of factors beginning with Simmons’ premeditation. Simmons expressed to a couple of friends that he desired to commit a murder, and he provided a sequence of how he wished to carry out his crime (Cornell University Law School, 2005). Furthermore, the details he provided to his friends were callous and calculated furthering his culpability in the commission of murder. Since we understand Simmons planned to commit a murder, let us analyze the next factor, which was Simmons’ age at the time of the crime.

Jennifer Jenkins talks about how her sister was shot to death by a teenager, along with her husband and unborn child in the article, “On Punishment and Teen Killers”. She writes, “When a teenager murdered her sister and her husband in 1990 in suburban Chicago, she was pregnant with their first child,”(paragraph 2). The teenager who killed them came from a privileged home and never got in trouble with his parents. He had committed other crimes before this and had been planning murders throughout