17 year old Christopher Simmons along with another friend robbed, kidnapped, and murdered a woman by throwing her off of a bridge with her hands and legs bound. Simmons and his friend were caught shortly after the heinous act, primarily due to Simmons bragging about what he did. When arrested by the local police, he was taken to the police station and was given his Miranda rights. Simmons “waived his right to an attorney and agreed to answer questions” (Cornell University, n.d.). Simmons confessed to the murder and gave a videotaped reenactment of how he committed the heinous act. Due to Simmons’ age, he was outside of the “criminal jurisdiction of Missouri’s juvenile court system” and was tried as an adult (Cornell University, n.d.). During the trial, the state showed the evidence of the videotaped confession and reenactment as well as evidence of him bragging about what he did. It is important to know that the defense did not call one witness during the trial. …show more content…
During the sentencing phase, the judge advised the jurors that they can consider his age when determining his punishment. The defense counsel argued that Simmons’ age should make an immense difference to the jurors in deciding just exactly what his punishment should be (Cornell University, n.d.). The jury ultimately recommended that Simmons be sentenced to death, and the presiding judge imposed their recommendation. Upon appeals all the way up to the Missouri Supreme Court, the Court affirmed the lower court’s decision and denied his