Chatham County law enforcement testifies in Leilani Simon trial

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Leilani Simon, the former Burke County resident accused of killing her toddler Quinton and discarding his body in a dumpster, is on trial in Chatham County.

The jury will decide Simon’s fate on a 19-count indictment that accuses Simon of malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another, and making false statements.

Tuesday testimony

Several witnesses from the Chatham County Police Department took the stand Tuesday.

The focus Tuesday morning was on the police corporal who responded to Buckhalter Road where Quinton Simon was reported missing.

l. Schenker, who is with the forensic unit at CD, took over 400 photographs of the Simon home as well as Leilani Simon’s car after she reported Quinton missing.

In those 400 photographs, there were a few things of note. One exception being what Schenker described as vomit in Quinton’s pack n’ play, where he slept.

The prosecution went over the structure of the home, with prosecutors showing photos investigators took, including what one believed to be either blood or vomit on a pillow in the home.

There was a back and forth about whether this substance was tested. Right now, the results of any testing that might have been done have not been revealed in court.

“Did not appear to be blood to you,” asked prosecutor Tim Dean.

“No,” replied l. Philip Schenker.

“Did you do any testing at any point to determine whether it was blood,” asked Dean.

“I did not,” replied l. Schenker.

“When you came across the pictures, you said it was vomit that in the pack and play, correct,” asked Dean.

“I believed it was,” said l. Schenker.

“You believed it was. Did you seize it,” asked Dean.

“Yes,” said l. Schenker.

“Did you send it off for testing,” asked Dean.

“I did not. Detectives did,” said l. Schenker.

“So, you basically did your job. Seized it, handed it off to detectives. Correct,” asked Dean.

“Yes sir,” said l. Schenker.

While the prosecution is still laying out their case and calling their witnesses, the defense is already making their own case through cross examination, citing the lack of physical evidence in the case.

It also seems that they’re putting the procedures of the Chatham County Police Department throughout the investigation under a microscope.

A point of contention with the defense, alcohol bottles found in Simon’s car.

They questioned why those, as well as a potential drop of blood in the driver’s seat, were not logged into evidence.

“Did you ever find any feces or blood or anything like that in it,” asked Martin Hilliard, Leilani Simon’s defense attorney.

“We did find a spot that reacted on the driver’s side seat, but that was it,” said l. Schenker.

“What was that,” asked Hilliard.

“It appeared to be blood. We BlueStarred it, it fluoresced, just a little tiny spot on the driver’s seat,” said l. Schenker.

“Did you seize that or send it for further testing,” asked Hilliard.

“No, sir,” said l. Schenker.

“You didn’t,” asked Hilliard.

“No sir,” said l. Schenker.

“Again, just curious, why not,” asked Hilliard.

“Didn’t believe at the time it was pertinent,” said l. Schenker.

Prosecutor Tim Dean followed up that line of questioning and had Schenker clarify that the spot was just bigger than the tip of a pin. And that the test that was done on the spot is not conclusive that the spot was blood.

Shortly after, former CD Detective Marian Lemmons took the stand to talk about her interviews with Simon, including the story the prosecution says she concocted to explain her whereabouts the night Quinton went missing.

Lemmons walked jurors through some of her first interviews with Simon on the day the mother reported Quinton missing. Prosecutors played some of those interviews.

In that first interview, Simon is heard telling investigators that she went to a nearby gas station, close to where prosecutors say she dumped Quinton’s body, to get mouth medication from a friend.

The lead detective also testified that after searching Simon’s phone, she quickly found no evidence to back up Simon’s story.

The detective also said she found text messages showing the mom made a previously undisclosed stop hours before prosecutors say she killed Quinton.

“Did you see any record of those phone calls in her phone,” asked Dean.

“No,” replied Lemmons. “...She said that she ‘headed to 204′ was the text. And that meant she was going to the drug dealer’s house or their location to meet up to pay off a drug front.”

“Did she say how much the drug front was for,” Dean asked.

“$20,” replied Lemmons.

In their opening statements Monday, prosecutors said Simon made up a series of devolving lies to investigators after she killed her toddler.

Simon has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Testimony continued Tuesday afternoon with FBI agents involved in the investigation.

Evidence shown

Video and photos were shown Tuesday from the Chatham County Police Department. Some of the images showed what witnesses described as “vomit” in Quinton Simon’s pack n play.

The toddler slept in the pen and the alleged vomit, found on his pillow.

“You’re sure it wasn’t blood, correct,” asked Hilliard.

“I’m not sure,” replied l. Schenker.

“Didn’t look like it, did it,” asked Hilliard.

“It did not look like blood,” replied l. Schenker.

“But you believe it to be vomit, correct,” asked Hilliard.

“I do,” replied l. Schenker.

“And you don’t know how old it was or how long it had been there,” asked Hilliard.

“I don’t,” replied l. Schenker.

Detective Marian Lemmons testified the pack n’ play was seized as evidence.

“Did you give it to FBI Agent Savannah Solomon,” asked Dean.

“Yes,” replied Lemmons.

“And was asking that she could send it to the FBI lab for potential forensic analysis,” asked Dean.

“Yes. It had to be sent to Quantico in Virginia,” said Lemmons.

It’s unclear from testimony whether it was ever confirmed that the substance, was, indeed, vomit, or what the significance of that might be to the case.

Schenker also testified that alcohol bottles and a possible drop of blood were found in Simon’s car.

The defense appeared to question the Chatham County Police Department’s procedures during cross-examination after Schenker said those items were not logged into evidence.

“Why not,” asked Hilliard.

“I didn’t feel that they were pertinent to the case,” said Schenker.

“So, you don’t think it’s pertinent to the case, you don’t log it into evidence,” asked Hilliard.

“Well, it’s not evidence,” said Schenker.

“And who determines whether something is evidence,” asked Hilliard.

“I guess that would be me,” said Schenker.

It’s worth noting that none of what was discussed, as far as vomit in the pack n’ play, potential blood in Simon’s car, or the alcohol bottles were mentioned in opening statements.

WTOC reporters who went to the scene the day Quinton was reported missing ed hearing the debate over vomit or blood happening while the police were searching Simon’s home. While reporting at the scene on the day Quinton went missing, they heard multiple officers making comments about whether they had found vomit or blood in the pack n’ play.

Detective interview

The lead detective walked jurors through some of the first interviews with Simon on the day her toddler was reported missing.

Hysterical yelling rants. That’s how the Leilani Simon case’s lead investigator characterized interviews with the mom soon after toddler Quinton was reported missing.

“Sometimes when I kind of questioned her statement on her timeline, it would start to escalate into this,” said Lemmons.

After pulling Simon’s phone records, Detective Marian Lemmons said she became skeptical of the mother’s story about a trip to pick up mouth medication from a friend on the night Quinton died.

“Did you see any records of those phone calls on her phone,” Dean asked.

“No,” Lemmons replied.

Detective Lemmons also revealed text messages that she says showed Simon made an undisclosed trip to a drug dealer that night.

Prosecutors aiming to show what they say are Simon’s devolving lies to investigators about her drug use and whereabouts on October 4 and 5, 2022.

Late Tuesday prosecutors played a recorded police interview that they say shows Simon further itting her drug use.

They say Simon’s drug use and mindset in early October 2022 is central to why they believe the mother killed her toddler.

Cross examination of Detective Lemmons is expected to start when court picks up Wednesday at 10 a.m.