.
The case then hit the courts, where things seemed they were going to go smooth. The evidence was more than clear. Simmons even confessed to the murder. Simmons reenacted the crime scene on the bridge on video for the trial. Tessmer testified against him and said that Simmons had a plan before the murder. The jury had a guilty verdict. The jury then recommended the death sentence, even though Simmons had no criminal record and his age was only 17. The trial court disagreed. Simmons then moved for the trial to be a separate part of the conviction for court. Simmons took the sentencing to court saying his age and his up growing were not taken into account with his sentence. The trial court denied this trial. Simmons then sought to appeal. The sentencing case worked its way up the court system. The courts continued to uphold the death sentence. Simmons was extremely lucky. Since this case was right after Atkins v. Virginia case in 2002, which overturned the death penalty for the mentally ill. Simmons filed a new petition for state post conviction relief and the Supreme Court of Missouri said, " that this case now violates the Eight Amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment." The case ending with Simmons being sentenced to life in prison, without parole, but no death penalty. .
The last person to be executed by death penalty was Scott Allen Hain. Hain was executed by lethal injection. He was sentenced to death after a double- kidnapping and murder in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hain stole a car with a couple in it. He then tied the couple up and put them in the trunk. Hain then set the car on fire. Hain was sentenced to death in 1988; he died at the age of 32 in 2003. Hain was the last person from all of the statistics and facts I made in the paragraph. .
Michael Gerardi was killed during New Orleans' bloodiest week. Gerardi was out on a date with Connie Babin. Gerardi was killed while being robbed outside out a restaurant by three African-American's.