IQ score of 53 could spare Phoenix mother from death penalty in daughter’s killing
Sophia Simmons scored 53 on an initial screening, prompting further review. An Arizona appeals court rejected prosecutors’ bid to speed up their expert’s examination.
Sophia Simmons, left, faces the death penalty in her daughter’s killing, but an intellectual disability review could bar her execution. An Arizona Court of Appeals courtroom is pictured at right. (Photos courtesy of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Arizona Court of Appeals)
(Photos courtesy of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Arizona Court of Appeals)
A Phoenix mother accused of killing her young daughter and leaving her body in a dumpster scored a 53 on an initial IQ screening, according to a state appeals court ruling.
The score could spare Sophia Simmons from the death penalty.
Maricopa County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, but Arizona law bars executing anyone found to have an intellectual disability. A score of 75 or below triggers a closer look by experts for both sides.
In a ruling Friday, the Arizona Court of Appeals sided with Simmons over prosecutors, who had argued their expert could examine her sooner. The court said the law requires experts to wait at least 20 days after her school, medical and other records are due.
The ruling now applies to death penalty cases across Arizona.
No decision has been made on whether Simmons is intellectually disabled.
Simmons is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. She was accused of tampering with evidence when she allegedly tried to clean the crime scene. Police said she assaulted her daughter, whose body was found in a dumpster near 35th Avenue and Thomas Road on Christmas Eve 2023.
Her trial is slated to start in April.
Related
SAFE Alert issued for 68-year-old man last seen in Glendale
Brothers stab each other after fight escalates in west Phoenix
Several Grand Canyon trails reopen in wake of deadly flash flooding
California man gets life sentence for conspiring to kill barber in Scottsdale
Former World Series champ Cody Ross puts Scottsdale home on the market for $14M
Outside groups pour millions into Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District in final weeks
Comments
3 Comments
And yet - with an I.Q. of 53 - she seemed to somehow conceive and "unlive" her baby (?)
She's playing "dumb" to avoid the DP, she's sadly going to play the system. SMH
"A score of 75 or below triggers a closer look by experts for both sides." In other words, DIMS likely are given a free pass regardless of their crimes.