He is accused of killing a baby. Here is when this Myrtle Beach man will face a jury
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about the arrest date being a year after the incident. Simmons was initially arrested in September 2017, though J. Reuben Long Detention Center Records indicated he was arrested Friday.
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.
Detectives opened an investigation Sept. 20, 2017 involving a missing baby girl. Two days later, officers interviewed the second suspect who said Simmons beat the infant child to death July 15, 2017 at 603 3rd Ave. S. apartment, warrants state.
Simmons and the second suspect disposed of the baby’s body and “made efforts to conceal the infant’s remains from discovery,” authorities said.
Police later found the baby’s remains, the warrant states. The location or date the baby was found was not immediately available. Documents state “efforts continue” to recover, document, secure evidence” of the crime.
It’s unclear if Simmons had any relation to the infant. Warrants do not specify the age of the baby.
The Sun News has reached out to the coroner’s office and Myrtle Beach police for more details.
This story was originally published December 26, 2018 at 3:18 PM.
