Genar+Mecale+4A

On September 9th, 1993, the body of Shirley Crook was found in the Merimac Riverin St. Louis County, Missouri. She had been thoughouly wound with electrical wire, duct tape, and leather straps. Whileher body was adorned with bruises and had several fractured ribs, the determined cause of death was drowning. Later, 17 year-old Christopher Simmons was aggressively interrogated about the events. He confessed, and was later convicted of murder. Soon after Christopher was born, his parents divorced. From early childhood, Bob Hayes, his stepfather(he predominantly lived with his mother) was abusive in most of the ways people can imagine. The alcholic was known to threaten, stike and scream at Chris, doing such things as beating him with a belt, tieing him to a tree while fishing, and as a teenager, forced him down and squeezed his acne until the ran red. Once, he took the boy to a bar and forced him to drink for his friends' amusement. A friend of Simmons once noticed his ear bleeding badly after another beating. She later learned that his eardrum had been badly damaged. Chris's mother was frightened by her husband and never stood up for the boy. Also, along with his stepfather came two stepbrothers, both of whom were treated much more kindly than him. Chris's father and stepmother often fought with his mother and stepfather over Chris's time and attention, and are still known to violently argue when in the same room. It is also known that Chris turned to drugs and alcohol in response. Chris was taken in for questioning after the teenage girl's corpse was found. Without his parents, stepparents, or an advisor of any sort(other than his questioners), he was told by the police that he was facing life in prison or death, and that things would go best for him if he confessed, falsely suggesting that he would not face the death penalty if he did confess. Under that pressure, he confessed to the crime. Prior to the trial, the District Atorney told him that a plea to life in prison wouldbe appropriate, and that he could plea for such. His father advised him to take the offer, while his mother, unwilling to face the idea of him in prison, told him not to. During the trial, there was little evidence against Chris, if any, other than his pressured confession. It has been stated numerous times that the case against him would have been week without this confession, furthered by the fact that he had no previous dealings with law-breaking. During the trial, while there many friends, family members, neighbors and a psychologist who were willing to come to court as witnesses,Chris's attorney did not call on them, nor did the police officer's attend to confirm that he had been waived his right to remain silent and that he had cooperated with them. Chris was simply presented as a loving and supportive son, brother and friend. The defense never raised the facts about his drug, emotional or physical abuse, either. The psychologist who questioned Chris also determined that he had a "longstanding history of abusing alcohol and marijuana, beginning at age 13... and suffered from a schizotypal personality disorder." The jury, deciding if a 17 year-old with no previous criminal record, had committed the murder, was not made aware of any of this. __**The ruling**__ The case went to the Missouri Supreme Court, which on January 26, 2003, declared it unconstitutional to punish a person under the age of 18 with the death sentence, with the 8th Amendment as proof. The decision was then appealed to the Supreme Court, and on March 1st, 2005, upheld the previous case ruling in favor of Simmons, giving him life in prison as opposed to the death sentence.
 * __A violent stepfather and feuding families__**
 * __Being aggressively questioned__**
 * __The trial__**

__**Afterwords**__ Chris has been a model inmate and has been involved in religious groups and groups aiming to steer teenagers and adolescents away from drugs.  am definitely sorry for all of the suffering I've caused people especially the victims, I just wish there was a way to make things right. I wish I could let people know how genuinely I've had to deal with it for the eight years I've been in prison and had to look in the mirror everyday...I want to continue to help troubled teens, as I once was, and I presently get the opportunity to in a Youth Enlightenment Program (Y.E.P.) that we have here at this prison.... I came to death row a very messed up, drug addicted, 17-year-old runaway that had to grow up here in the worst of prison realities. I've had to wake up every day facing the pain and suffering I've caused others...."

__**Thanks to**__ ttp://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/simmons.html & http://www.internationaljusticeproject.org/juvCSimmons.cfm