Roper v. Simmons

Roper v. Simmons (2005) was a case before the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled on March 1, 2005, that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18, in a 5-4 decision.

The case

This case, which originated in Missouri, involves Christopher Simmons, who in 1993 at the age of 17, concocted the plan to murder Shirley Crook, bringing two younger friends—Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer, into the plot. The plan was to commit burglary and murder by breaking and entering, tying up a victim, and tossing the victim off a bridge. The three met in the middle of the night; however, Tessmer then dropped out of the plot. The two— Simmons and Benjamin—broke into Mrs. Crook's home, bound her hands and covered her eyes. They drove her to a state park and threw her off a bridge.

Related Topics:
Missouri - 1993 - Burglary - Murder - State park

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Once this case was brought to trial, the evidence against Simmons was overwhelming, pointing to his guilt. He had confessed to the murder, performed a videotaped reenactment at the crime scene, and there was testimony from Tessmer against Simmons that showed premeditation (he discussed the plot in advance and later bragged about the crime). The jury returned a guilty verdict. Even considering mitigating factors (no prior criminal history, sympathy from Simmons' family, and most importantly his age), the jury nonetheless imposed a death sentence. Simmons' case was appealed, citing ineffective trial support. His age, and thus impulsiveness, along with a troubled background were brought up as issues. The trial court upheld the jury's death sentence.

Related Topics:
Evidence - Premeditation - Jury

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The case worked its way up the court system, with the courts continuing to uphold the death sentence. However, in light of a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002), that overturned the death penalty for the mentally retarded, the Missouri Supreme Court reconsidered Simmons' case and concluded that "a national consensus has developed against the execution of juvenile offenders" and sentenced Simmons to life imprisonment without parole.

Related Topics:
Atkins v. Virginia - 536 U.S. 304 - 2002 - Mentally retarded

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The State of Missouri appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case. (The name of the action, Roper v. Simmons, comes from the names of Donald P. Roper, a Missouri Dept of Corrections official, who was a party to the action in official name only, and Christopher Simmons, who was the defendant in the original action).

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