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Roper V. Simmons Case Study

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There have been numerous influential laws and Supreme Court decisions during the 2000s. One such landmark decision is the Supreme Court case Roper v. Simmons, which dealt with the issue of the capital punishment of juveniles. Roper v. Simmons is an intricate case with multiple aspects regarding the details of the case, the context of its passage, and the implications of the case.
Roper v. Simmons became a Supreme Court case due to the eminent execution of Christopher Simmons who murdered Shirley Crook when he was just seventeen years old. Along with a friend, he aggressively killed Crook, and one week later confessed to the homicide (“The Debate” 104). Since the age to be tried as a child ends at sixteen in Missouri, the state tried Roper as an adult and immediately suggested the death penalty (Gretey 572). A state jury found Simmons guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death despite the fact that he was a minor at the time. Simmons case then continued through the court system due to his claim of consensus against the execution of minors. The Missouri Supreme Court then resentenced Simmons to life in prison (“The Debate” 104-105). On March 1, 2005 …show more content…

Simmons effectively affects the juvenile population and forbids state and federal governments from sentencing any offender who commits a crime under the age of eighteen to death. The death penalty in the case of juveniles is considered unconstitutional as it violates the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel or unusual punishment (Gretey 565). This decision was arrived at due to scientific evidence that psychologically differentiates between juveniles and adults. Major differences between the age groups affirm that a minor should not be held to the same standards as an adult regarding punishment for crimes. The court concluded that the three crucial differences in maturity, predisposition to influences, and character traits between adults and children affect their accountability for crimes (O’Neill

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Roper V Simmons involved a juvenile (Christopher Simmons) who committed murder and got the death penalty. Christopher Simmons had the desire to commit murder and thought since he was a minor he would get away with the crime. On September 8th , Christopher Simmons, Charles Benjamin, and John Tessmer met at 2 am and planned to rob and murder a victim, their victim ended up being Shirley Cook. The three found Mrs. Cook in her bedroom, they then proceeded to tie her up and cover her mouth with duct tape , after they drove her to the Meramec River and dropped her off the bridge leaving her to drown. Tessmer fled the scene and ended up testifying against Simmons.

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Roper V Simmions, Falls under the 8th amendment cruel and unusual punishment. In Roper V Simmions there was a 17 year old boy with a mental disabitliy who commited a premediated murder was orginally being tried for the death penalty. In this case however there was another individual who did assist in the murder. He wasnt declared “mentally fit” for the trial but some felt his crimes were heneous enough to warrent the death penalty.

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" His direct appeal and subsequent petitions for state and federal post-conviction relief were rejected. Following this, Simmons filed a new petition for state post-conviction relief. Simmons based his argument upon Atkins’ reasoning, that is, if “a punishment is "excessive," [it is] therefore prohibited by the Amendment, if it is not graduated and proportioned to the offense” Simmons argues that the Constitution prohibits the execution of an offender who is under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed and set aside Simmons’ death sentence. Simmons was resentenced to "life imprisonment without eligibility for probation, parole, or release except by act of the Governor.”

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Christopher Simmons managed to avoid the death penalty due to the controversy of executing a

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Kaylee Woolery Mr. O’Rourke Political Issues Tuesday, April 18th Supreme Court Opinion In 1989 the case of Roper vs. Simmons, the US Supreme Court opposed the death sentence and decided against the death penalty for anyone younger than 18. They argued that his 8th amendment rights were being infringed resulting in cruel and unusual punishment for the execution of a minor. Christopher Simmons, a 17-year-old, was arrested and put on trial for the first-degree murder of Shirley Crook. Due to the fact that it was first-degree murder, he was sentenced to death.

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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

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At the age of 17, Christopher Simmons planned and pursued his plan of kidnapping, tying up, and throwing his neighbor, Shirley Crook off of a bridge. Missouri attorneys claim that Simmons boasted about his plan of killing his neighbor. Thinking that he could get away with it because he was only 17 years old, which is not fair. But other attorneys claim that Simmons should not get the death penalty because it violates the 8th amendment. Considering Simmons still committed murder and put the innocent women to a cruel death, he should have been given the death penalty.

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In Roper v. Simmons there are two issues that must be addressed, the first being the issue of moral maturity and culpability. The defense in the trial phase of this case argued that Mr. Simmons was an at an age where he was not responsible enough to fully understand the effects and consequences of his actions. The majority draws on Atkins v. Virginia to argue that this specific precedent supports their case that the death penalty should not be imposed on the mentally immature or impaired. However, an important point to be made is that the Atkins v. Virginia decision is geared towards the clinical definition of mental retardation: significant limitations that limit adaptive skills. Also, another important question to consider is the competency and premeditation of Mr. Simmons’ crime in this case.

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The narrative begins in 1993 with the sickening murder of Shirley Crook by seventeen-year-old Christopher Simmons. The Missourian had plotted to, “… commit burglary and murder by breaking and entering, tying up the victim, and throwing that victim off a bridge” (543 US 551, at 556-57). When the disfigured body of Mrs. Crook was located, authorities arrested Simmons who quickly confessed to the killing and was sent to court to be tried as an adult. During the trial, both the prosecutor and defense applied Simmons’ age as a justification for their arguments. The defense stated that Simmons’ age was a mitigating factor, citing several legal limitations on the capabilities of minors and in opposition, the prosecutor argued that it was actually

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Simmons age and bad childhood came up at the trial as an issue. The trial court continued with the jury's death penalty. The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the U.S. Supreme Court denied review. Simmons’ attempt at legal relief from the federal courts (habeas corpus) was also denied. (Roper v, Simmons, 1993)

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In the case of Roper v. Simmons, Christopher Simmons, a 17-year-old, was sentenced to death for murder. Before the crime was committed, Simmons shared his plan of wanting to murder someone by breaking into a home, tying up a victim and throwing them off the bridge. Later on, Christopher Simmons and Charles Benjamin, broke into the home of Mrs. Crook, while her husband was not there. Upon entering the house, Simmons and Benjamin used duct tape to cover the eyes and mouth of the victim and tied her hands together. As time progressed, both Simmons and Benjamin, transported her in a minivan to a railroad trestle, which is where they threw Mrs. Crook off the bridge to her death.

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If I were a justice on the Supreme Court, in Roper v. Simmons, I would have voted along with the justice on dissent; however, I do not agree with the execution of juveniles, but life in prison for Christopher Simmons should have never been negotiable. As the presiding justice for the Supreme Court, my decision for Simmons would have been life in prison pending that he goes through a series of evaluations. Every case law in the United States is presided by other case laws. However, in Christopher Simmons’s case, he was seventeen at the time of his confession, in which he bragged about his illustration of the crime; therefore, as justice, I would have taken into account Simmons motivation to commit murder.

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In 2012, in Alabama v. Miller, 14-year-old Evan Miller beat up his neighbor and set fire to his trailer. In another case, Roper v. Simmons, Christopher Simmons tied a woman, threw her off a bridge, and watched her drown. So what happened? According to the article "Juveniles, No Parole," the Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that it was unconstitutional and a violation of the 8th Amendment to sentence a juvenile to prison, saying that in the second case, the Court banned the death penalty for people 18 and under. In that same story, Justice Elena said it "diminished culpability and heightened the capacity for change.

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At the police station, he waived his rights and after a short interrogation, Simmons confessed to the murder (Roper v. Simmons, 2005). He also agreed to make a video reenactment of exactly what happened (Roper v. Simmons, 2005). At 17 years old, Simmons was charged with burglary, kidnapping, theft, and 1st degree murder. In Missouri, Simmons was tried as an adult being that he was 17 years old and committed murder (Roper v. Simmons, 2005). His confession and reenactment were used against him at trial as well as other evidence such as his planning it out and bragging about it (Roper v. Simmons, 2005).

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Teenagers are not perfect, and their irrational behavior can lead to poor decisions that could potentially be dangerous and unlawful. A debate has now occurred for many years that deals with the issue of sentencing teens that have committed serious crimes such as murder and robbery. Many people argue that if juveniles commit these crimes that their punishment should be equal to an adults punishment for serious crimes, but juveniles shouldn’t have to worry about their lives getting ruined. Most juveniles and teenagers do not have enough maturity to survive in the adult prison system, and recent brain development research shows us that teenagers brains are not even close to being finished developing. Therefore, teenagers and youth under the age of eighteen should

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