Beoria Simmons

Case record: Beoria Simmons

Background

Beoria Simmons (DOB 5-17-54) was convicted of three counts of murder and rape and four counts of kidnapping from the early 1980s.

He was described as a serial killer who abducted white females at gunpoint, raped them, and then shot them.

The offence

Simmons abducted and killed three women at gunpoint, raped them, and then shot them.

The victims were:

• Robin Barnes, 15
• Shannon House, 29
• Nancy Bettman, 39

A fourth victim was abducted in 1983 but escaped and identified Simmons.

Victim Robin Barnes

Simmons killed Robin Barnes.

• The offence date was May 18, 1981. Her cousin Kaye Barnes described what happened:

"She was raped, sodomized, and shot in the chest and once under the chin and out the temple,"
"Her left wrist was broke, I guess where she was trying to get out of the car and get away from him. It took three days to find her."

Police took two more years to find Robin Barnes’ killer.

Victim Shannon House

Simmons abducted, raped, and killed Shannon House.

• The offence date was March 25, 1982. Her body was dumped in Iroquois Park.

Victim Nancy Bettman

Simmons abducted, raped, and killed Nancy Bettman.

• The offence date was March 11, 1983.

Fourth would-be victim (16-year-old female)

Simmons abducted a fourth victim on June 11, 1983. The victim managed to escape and identify Simmons.

In connection with that incident, the victim was abducted near Churchill Downs and was taken to Iroquois Park. Simmons told her she was going to be raped. She stabbed him and got away, and then helped police catch Simmons.

Investigation

Between Robin Barnes’ death on May 18, 1981 and Simmons’ arrest on June 11, 1983, Simmons also abducted, raped, and killed Shannon House on March 25, 1982, and Nancy Bettman on March 11, 1983.

Arrest

Simmons was arrested on June 11, 1983 after the fourth would-be kidnapping/rape/murder victim escaped and identified him to police.

Trial

Simmons was sentenced to the electric chair for kidnapping and murdering three women.

Simmons was sentenced to death on May 13, 1985 in Jefferson County for murder, rape, and four counts of kidnapping.

Simmons appealed his case “basically since then.”

Sentencing

Simmons was sentenced to death on May 13, 1985.

On March 3, 2010, a judge approved a change in his sentence so that he would spend life in prison.

In the courtroom, Simmons apologized to the families of three women he abducted, raped and killed in the 1980s:

"I just want to say I'm sorry for all the grief and pain I've caused throughout the years,"
"You know, if I could undo it I'd undo it. But I can't, so I pray to God he'd bless you all, you know, just bring some peace to your life."

Simmons’ sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole on March 3, 2010.

Appeals

Simmons’ latest appeal resulted in a deal that would take him off death row and keep him in prison for life only if he agreed to drop all appeals.

Barnes reported that prosecutors told her the plea deal was the best option because if Simmons’ appeal resulted in a new trial, there could be problems making a 29-year-old case.

Barnes said original detectives and original witnesses could be unavailable, quoting:

"Original detectives, original witnesses and if they didn't have all these original people, half of them are dead now, that he could walk,"

Outcome

A death sentence was imposed on May 13, 1985 and was later commuted to life in prison without parole on March 3, 2010.

Aftermath

On March 1, 2010, Beoria Simmons was described as scheduled to be in court on March 2.

Kaye Barnes, cousin of Simmons’ first victim, Robin Barnes, said she did not feel life in prison was the justice her cousin deserved and expressed concern about a death-in-prison outcome. She stated:

"It's not good enough for me,"
"I want to be there when he dies,"
"I don't want him to die in prison, I want him to die of lethal injection, what he was convicted for."

It was reported that the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office could not talk about the story because of Simmons’ pending court hearing, and he was scheduled to be in court at 2 p.m. where Barnes said he would make his plea deal.

On March 3, 2010, it was reported that prosecutors said the plea deal was the best option to keep Simmons behind bars after problems were found with jury selection at his original trial that could have given him a new one.