He is accused of killing a baby. Here is when this Myrtle Beach man will face a jury
A man accused of beating a child to death and burying her in the woods pleaded not guilty. His trial is now set for early next year.
Dequan Simmons was in Horry County Circuit Court on Thursday for an arraignment, Senior Assistant Solicitor Mary-Ellen Walter said. Police charged him with homicide by child abuse and his trial was set for March.
Simmons rejected a plea offer that would have seen him spend 20 years in jail, Walter said. He faces life in prison if convicted.
LaDasha Keyana Harriett was also initially charged in connection to the case.
Police say Simmons beat Harriett’s 8-month-old baby, Aaliyana McCoy. Harriett did not stop the attack or seek medical attention, authorities said. The beating happened at the couple’s 3rd Avenue South home in Myrtle Beach.
Harriett said she saw the child die and then placed the baby in a car seat and let Simmons drive away, according to police.
Simmons and Harriett buried McCoy in a wooded area off Hague Drive in Socastee near the Intercoastal Waterway, police said.
The baby died around July 15, 2017, and the couple was charged in September 2017. A South Carolina Department of Social Services worker first reported McCoy missing.
This story was originally published December 14, 2018 at 10:34 AM.
