Posted on 02/01/2008 5:53:09 AM PST by KeyLargo
Time served, sex offender who killed 6-year-old girl has come to live in Derry
By PAT GROSSMITH AND NANCY WEST New Hampshire Union Leader
DERRY – A man who strangled, then sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl and stuffed her body into a storm drain in 1981 is living near the Derry Montessori School, a park and the public library.
Douglas Allen Simmons, 47, moved into 71 East Broadway, Apt. 3, Derry, over the weekend, according to police. Yesterday, his name and photo were posted on New Hampshire's child sex offender Web site.
Simmons was a 20-year-old sailor when he lured freckle-faced Michelle Spencer, 6, into his apartment July 19, 1981, and murdered her in Norwich, Conn., according to The Hartford Courant account of his sentencing. Simmons lived with his wife in the same building as Michelle.
Simmons strangled Michelle with a paint-speckled gray telephone cord, then sexually abused her and disposed of her body in a sewer drain near her home, according to the newspaper.
Michelle was last seen playing in her front yard wearing green shorts and a red T-shirt with a "Wonder Woman" emblem on it.
At Simmons' sentencing, a prosecutor said Simmons hit the child's hand when she reached for his stereo and, when she began to cry, covered her mouth with his hand to quiet her. She collapsed to the floor. Simmons grabbed a telephone cord, wrapped it around her neck and strangled her, The Hartford Courant reported.
The 6-year-old lived in the same building as Douglas Allen Simmons in Norwich, Conn. On July 19, 1981, he strangled her with a telephone cord, sexually abused her and disposed of her body in a sewer drain, according to the Hartford Courant.
The prosecutor said Simmons then molested the girl before putting her body in a cardboard box and dumping it in a storm drain, the newspaper reported. Simmons, a Michigan native, was a fireman's apprentice aboard the USS Fulton in New London, Conn., and had just returned home from drinking with friends.
Amid controversy, Simmons was released on probation in 2003 in Connecticut after Michigan officials scuttled his attempt to move there to be near his mother, Jacqueline Dean, of Grand Rapids.
"The facts of the case suggest that Mr. Simmons is a serious predator who will likely commit similar crimes if released," Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm said at the time. A judge ordered Simmons to complete probation in Connecticut.
Simmons' mother spoke briefly with the New Hampshire Union Leader yesterday.
"He served his time. He's doing fine. He's been out of prison over five years," Jacqueline Dean said. "He just wants to live his life." Asked whether Simmons has friends in New Hampshire, Dean said she believes he does.
Simmons is free to live wherever he wants because his sentence and probation are completed; in New Hampshire, he is required to register for the child sex offender list. He came into the Derry police station Monday and registered, police said. There is no mention of his murder conviction on the New Hampshire state police site.
Simmons was never charged with sexual assault, but later admitted it. And there were errors in his original sentence when he pleaded guilty, according to Connecticut officials.
Philip Fazzino, of the New London, Conn., state's attorneys office, said the state erroneously added probation to Simmons' murder sentence, so he was brought back to court in 2003 and re-sentenced on a new indictment of second-degree kidnapping in connection with Michelle's murder.
Simmons essentially ended up with a 35-year sentence and five years probation, but earned time off for good behavior because of laws in effect when he was sentenced, Fazzino said. Simmons served about 22 years in prison and completed probation.
Yesterday, people in Derry remained on edge.
Cheryl Lynch, director of the Derry Public Library, said security at the library is already tight. "We're vigilant every day," Lynch said. "We ask the patrons to be aware of their surroundings."
Union Leader Correspondent Adam Benson contributed to this report.
Sure, protect the perv. Who cares about the children?
Why don’t you invite him to live next door to you? You don’t mind having a sexual child molester and convicted murderer living next door to you? Be my guest. Keeps him out of my neighborhood.
You asked a question:
“I thought these guys weren’t allowed to live within a certain distance of places children use, like parks and schools.”
I gave an explanation of why, in this case, it isn’t true:
“He served his probation. He’s no longer under judicial supervision. Thus, he may live where he chooses.”
I wasn’t making any judgment whether or not this was a good or bad thing, merely noting the fact that once someone serves his sentence and completes his probation, he is free to live where he chooses. That’s typically how these things work.
You assume (falsely) that I think that it’s a good thing that this fellow is no longer under any sort of judicial supervision.
sitetest
Ding dong the scumbag is gone!! He pick up and moved back to CT. on Thursday. I guess all of the pressure from the townsfolk drove him out. click here for the full story .http://www.wmur.com/news/15198842/detail.html
Good. Thanks for letting us know what happened.
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