Man Gets 105-Year Prison Sentence In 'Execution' Of 14-Year-Old Girl

A Chicago man was sentenced to 105 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl who was found with her hands bound in an alleyway in Gary, Indiana.

Deonlashawn Simmons, 36, was sentenced Thursday by a Lake County judge in the September 2019 fatal shooting of Takaylah Tribitt, the Associated Press reported.

A jury convicted him of the murder in March. Simmons subsequently admitted to firearm and habitual offender enhancements.

However, he has maintained his innocence and said Thursday that he would file an appeal.

The Chicago girl, who was a runaway, was found facedown, tied with cords and surrounded by garbage not far from where Simmons’ family lived, according to court documents.

Tribbit and Simmons had met at a birthday party in Chicago five days earlier.

Tribbit's death was called an "execution" by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Doug Shaw. He requested that the maximum 105-year sentence be handed to Simmons, saying “that’s all the law allows us.”

The prosecuting attorney also said that the circumstances surrounding Tribitt’s death were some of the cruelest he’s ever seen.

Tribitt was a “defenseless child,” Shaw said.

Simmons’ attorney, Michael A. Campbell, had sought a 56-year sentence, with five years suspended in favor of probation.

An autopsy showed that Tribitt had been sexually assaulted, NWI Times reported. However, prosecutors did not charge Simmons with any sex crimes as part of the case.

DNA from one cord linked Simmons to the homicide, according to court records. Investigators also gathered cellphone location data and the teen’s Facebook records as evidence.

While he was in custody at the Chicago Police Department on unrelated matters in fall 2020, Simmons was questioned by detectives from the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit about his Facebook profile.

In portions of the interview, Simmons allegedly admitted he knew Tribitt and would give her rides, buy her food and pay for her to have her hair and nails done.

Simmons also said he knew his relationship with Tribitt was "going to be a problem" because of her age, but he denied he had any sexual contact with her, according to charging documents.