The parents of Darius Simmons – a young man who was fatally shot by his neighbor after being accused of theft – have won a $1.5 million civil judgment against their son’s killer.
Milwaukee County’s Judge Kevin Martens awarded damages of $1.2 million for Simmon’s mother, Patricia Larry, and $300,000 for Darius Simmons Sr., the late boy’s father.
Last month, the family received justice when Darius’ shooter, John Henry Spooner, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Spooner believed the young boy stole his shotguns and told jurors he killed the young boy because he wanted justice. According to 76-year-old man, his home was robbed days before the killing occurred, and he suspected Darius was the thief.
After confronting Darius, Spooner demanded that he should return the weapons and then proceeded to shoot him right in the chest in front of his mom. Ironically, it was Spooner’s home surveillance cameras that captured the incident in Milwaukee and prosecutors aired the footage during court.
The judgment has ensured that any assets discovered in Spooner’s estate will go to the boy’s parents. If you’ll recall, during court deliberations, Spooner spoke in a frail voice and has restated that he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He continued saying:
They had to rob the house. Why’d they do that to me? … They pushed me over the edge, I guess. I don’t know. As far as being sorry, I don’t know if I did right or wrong.
The judge responded:
I can tell you, you did wrong. You took the life of a child.
Justice has finally been served. May Darius Simmons rest in peace.
SOURCE: Daily Mail
