While the shooting of Darius Simmons by John H. Spooner could be compared to the shooting of Travon Martin by George Zimmerman, because both shootings involved criminal profiling and may have been racially motivated, the verdict in the two cases are not the same. When the George Zimmerman trial concluded, the jury found Mr. Zimmerman not guilty. By contrast, after only about an hour of deliberation, the jury in the John H. Spooner trial found Mr. Spooner guilty of first degree intentional homicide for the murder of Darius Simmons.
The trial for John H. Spooner has now moved into the second phase, where the lawyer for Mr. Spooner is arguing that Mr. Spooner is not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. On July 17, 2013, defense expert Basil Jackson testified that, at the moment of the shooting, Mr. Spooner was not able to determine between good and bad, rendering him unaccountable for his actions. Today, two experts, one retained by the prosecution and one appointed by the Court, will testify that Mr. Spooner was not suffering a mental disease when he shot Darius Simmons. The issue of whether Mr. Spooner had a mental disease or defect at the time of the shooting will then go to the jury. Please continue to follow our website and our blog for updates on the case.
The Milwaukee civil rights attorneys of Samster, Konkel & Safran represent Patricia Larry, the mother of Darius Simmons, in her lawsuit against John H. Spooner for the murder of her son. We will do our best to make sure that there is justice for the death of Darius Simmons.
