Trial begins for Leilani Simon, mother accused of killing toddler son and throwing him in dumpster
Leilani Simon (Chattham County Sheriff's Office)
SAVANNAH, ga. - The trial of Leilani Simon, the Georgia mother accused of killing her toddler son Quinton and discarding his remains in a landfill, got underway on Monday with opening statements and testimony from law enforcement officers. Simon is charged with malice murder, felony murder, concealing a death, and making false statements in connection with the 2022 death of her son.
The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Tim Dean, called multiple officers to the stand, including Cpl. Cody Jepsen of the Chatham County Police Department, who was one of the first responders on the scene when Quinton was reported missing on Oct. 5, 2022. Jepsen testified that he searched the Simon residence twice but found no sign of Quinton. He also participated in searches of the surrounding wooded areas but, again, found nothing. Jepsen's body-worn camera footage was introduced, capturing his interactions with Simon as she described the clothing her son had last been seen wearing— a Sesame Street pajama top and red or black gym shorts.
Quinton Simon (Chatham County Police Department)
Detective Shawn Wilkins, who conducted the initial on-scene interview with Leilani Simon, also testified. Wilkins recalled that Simon told him she last saw Quinton before going to bed around midnight on Oct. 4 and that she woke up the following morning around 9 a.m. to discover her son missing and the front door of the house open. This was consistent with what she had told other officers at the scene. Wilkins' recorded interview with Simon was played in court as part of his testimony.
One key piece of evidence came from Detective Kiana Robins, who testified about her use of the Flock camera system, which scans license plates across Chatham County. Robins explained that she ran a search for the tag number of Simon’s vehicle and found multiple hits from the late night of Oct. 4 and early morning of Oct. 5, indicating that the vehicle had been out driving. Robins relayed this information to Lt. Eugene Foster, the on-scene commander. Foster testified that he confronted Simon about the Flock camera results. Initially, Simon denied leaving the house that night, but after being pressed, she admitted to going to a nearby convenience store to purchase Orajel for tooth pain.
Prosecutors also introduced testimony about the extensive search for Quinton’s remains, which eventually led investigators to a local landfill. Lt. Foster, who oversaw the search efforts, described the challenging process of sifting through tons of compacted garbage. The search involved about 20 to 30 officers each day over several weeks, with the area under 24/7 security to prevent contamination of the search site. Quinton’s remains were eventually found, severely damaged by the landfill’s compacting process.
Simon's defense team, led by attorney Robert Persse, argues that the state’s case is based on speculation and lacks concrete evidence that Simon intentionally killed her son.