A Chicago man learned his fate last Thursday after a judge sentenced him to 105 years in jail for murdering a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a dirty alleyway in Gary, Indiana.
The 36-year-old convicted murderer, Deonlashawn Simmons, will likely spend the remaining days of his life behind bars for killing 14-year-old Takaylah Tribitt in 2019.
Simmons admitted to killing Tribitt, a runaway girl who was found facedown, tied up with cords, and dumped in garbage closed to where Simmons’ family lived, according to court documents.
Simmons had met the victim at a birthday party in Chicago five days earlier. He has maintained his innocence and said Thursday he plans to appeal.
Deputy Prosecutor Doug Shaw, who called Tribbit’s death an “execution,” asked the judge to impose the maximum 105-year sentence, saying “that’s all the law allows us.”
Tribitt was a “defenseless child,” Shaw said in court.
Simmons’ lawyer had asked for a 56-year sentence, with five years suspended in favor of probation.
