Day 5 of Leilani Simon murder trial

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Witness testimony continues Friday in the Leilani Simon murder trial.

Simon is accused of killing her 20-month-old son, Quinton , in October 2022. She allegedly beat him to death and threw away his body in a dumpster.

Police later found his body in a landfill.

It was an eventful day in the courtroom Thursday with the jury hearing from seven witnesses. The day started with the cross-examination of Danny Youngkin, Leilani Simon’s boyfriend at the time.

The jury also heard from some of Leilani Simon’s acquaintances, brother and former friends, one who said she conducted a seance and spoke with Quinton’s ghost.

Meanwhile, text messages that were previously denied by Judge Tammy Stokes were admitted into evidence. The explicit messages are between Leilani Simon and Craig, a drug dealer she slept with, according to the state.

“It’s a little salacious, but it’s the facts of the case, the case that she created,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Dean said. “I mean, I didn’t write these messages. I didn’t go visit Craig. This is the evidence.”

Friday is expected to continue with more witness testimony. Coverage is set to begin again at 9:30 a.m.

WSAV will bring you complete coverage.

LIVE BLOG

9:43 a.m. – Before the jurors were brought in the prosecution brought up that Leilani Simon was caught mouthing statements toward the camera that some of the testimony being delivered the previous day was a lie.

9:49 a.m. – Jurors have been seated and day 5 of the trial is underway.

9:50 a.m. – The State has called Michelle McCarta, mother of Talea McCarta who testified Thursday. McCarta is a neighbor of Leilani Simon who would frequently watch both Zane and Quinton.

10:05 a.m. – McCarta’s testimony describes a pattern of Leilani frequently leaving the children with her or her daughter for an extended period. She would even leave the children with them when not working or going to purchase drugs.

10:10 a.m. – The defense is now questioning Michelle McCarta.

10:14 a.m. – McCarta testified that most of the drop-offs and pickups of the children were taken care of by Danny, not Leilani.

10:17 a.m. – McCarta tells the court that a warning sign was that Leilani was screaming but not crying when Quinton was originally announced to be missing.

10:21 a.m. – The court excuses Michelle McCarta after completing her testimony.

10:22 a.m. – The state calls its next witness. They have called Jennie Cox to the stand. Cox is a member of the Counter Narcotics Team with the Chatham County Police Department (CCPD). She was a detective with CCPD during the time of the investigation.

The live recording is on a 30-minute delay, per a court order. WSAV’s time stamps for Leilani Simon’s trial are set in the time of watching the recording, not as it happened in the courtroom. Please consider this difference when watching the live recording and reading the updates. Graphic content is possible.

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