Roper V. Simmons Essay

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In 1993 Christopher Simmons, a 17 year old junior in high school committed the murder of Shirley Crook. Simmons had constructed a thorough plan to rob the Crook’s house with two of his friends from school, Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer. Charles Benjamin being fifteen and John Tessmer being sixteen. Simmons targeted the Crook’s house because of a car accident that involved him and Mrs. Crook. Having told peers and friends that he wanted to murder someone before the incident, Simmons was the one that influenced and instigated the plan. After persuading his friends that his plan of burglary would work if they murdered Shirley Crook and threw her off a nearby bridge. The three friends met at 2 a.m. on the night of the murder but Tessmer second …show more content…
Simmons was then arrested at school, due to him bragging to fellow classmates and friends about committing a murder. Simmons was taken to the Fenton County Jail, where he faced two hours of interrogation and confessed to murdering Shirley Crook. Roper v. Simmons took place on January 26, 2004. From 1993 to 2002 a series of appeals took place but each appeal was rejected. The supreme Court then stayed Simmon’s case, while the Supreme Court focused on Atkins v. Virginia, which involved the execution of the mentally disabled being unconstitutional. Due to the result of Atkins v. Virginia, the Missouri court had a six to three count. This reversed the Stanford v. Kentucky case, making it unconstitutional to execute …show more content…
Not only does this stop Simmons from being faced with the death penalty, but also reverses the Stanford v. Kentucky case. Simmons is simply getting away with the murder of Shirley Crook. Simmons also made it easy for other people that have committed murders while being a minor to get off easy in the court of law. The family of Mrs. Crook have to deal with the death of a mother and wife with no justice be served. The Supreme Court can not allow minors to commit severe crimes and not be be given the appropriate
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