Beoria Abraham Simmons III
Classification: Serial killer
Characteristics: Kidnapping - Rape
Number of victims: 3
Date of murders: 1981 - 1983
Date of birth: May 17, 1954
Victims profile Robin Barnes, 15 / Shannon House, 29 / Nancy Bettman, 39
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on May 13, 1985. Commuted to life in prison without parole on March 3, 2010
SIMMONS, BEORIA A., DOB 5-17-54, was sentenced to death May 13, 1985 in Jefferson County for murder, rape, and four counts of kidnapping.
In three separate cases he abducted Robin Barnes, Shannon House, and Nancy Bettman, at gunpoint, raped and killed them. These crimes occurred May 18, 1981, March 25, 1982 and March 11, 1983 respectively. On June 11, 1983 he abducted a fourth victim who managed to escape and identify Simmons.
Beoria Simmons kidnapped, beat, raped, and executed three women with a pistol in Jefferson County in 1981, 1982, & 1983. A fourth would-be kidnapping/rape/murder victim escaped.
Victims:
Ms. Barnes
Ms. House
Ms. Bettman
*a fourth 16-year-old female survived
Beoria Simmons - Kentucky
Serial killer Beoria Simmons was convicted of three counts of murder and rape and four counts of kidnapping from the early eighties. Simmons would abduct white females at gunpoint, rape them and then shoot them. An intended victim finally escaped and identified Simmons, putting an end to his murder spree.
Simmons, who is black, was sentenced to the electric chair for kidnapping and murdering three women, whose bodies were dumped in or near Louisville's Iroquois Park.
A fourth victim, a 16-year-old girl, escaped as Simmons tried to rape her in 1983, then identified him to police. The murder victims, who also were raped, were Robin Barnes, 15, Shannon House, 29, and Nancy Bettman, 39. They were killed in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
Deal with serial killer could take him off death row
By Janelle MacDonald - Wave3.com
March 1, 2010
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A man who has been on Kentucky's death row for 25 years may not be for much longer. 55-year-old Beoria Simmons is scheduled to be in court on March 2. According to the family of his victim, Simmons is set to take a plea deal that no one convicted of three murders should be allowed to make.
Simmons' actions changed the life of Kaye Barnes life for good and ended the life of her cousins, Robin Barnes.
"She was raped, sodomized, and shot in the chest and once under the chin and out the temple," said Barnes. "Her left wrist was broke, I guess where she was trying to get out of the car and get away from him. It took three days to find her."
It took police two more years to find her killer.
Robin Barnes was Simmons first victim, but not his last. Between Robin's death on May 18, 1981 and his arrest June 11, 1983, Simmons also abducted, raped and killed Shannon House on March 25, 1982, and Nancy Bettman on March 11, 1983. Both of their bodies were dumped in Iroquois Park.
A fourth victim was abducted near Churchill Downs. She was also taken to Iroquois Park, where Simmons told her she was going to be raped. She stabbed him and got away. She helped police catch Simmons.
Simmons was sentenced to death in 1985 and has been appealing his case basically since then. His latest appeal, Barnes said, has resulted in a deal that will take him off death row and keep him in prison for life but only if he agrees to drop all appeals.
"It's not good enough for me," said Barnes.
Barnes said her family was told by prosecutors that the plea deal was for the best because if Simmons' appeal resulted in a new trial, there could be problems making a 29-year-old case.
"Original detectives, original witnesses and if they didn't have all these original people, half of them are dead now, that he could walk," said Barnes.
While she understands the reasoning, Barnes said it is unfair. She has waited for justice in her cousin's death and life in prison isn't what she waited for.
"I want to be there when he dies," said Barnes. "I don't want him to die in prison, I want him to die of lethal injection, what he was convicted for."
The Commonwealth's Attorney's office could not talk to us about this story because of Simmons' pending court hearing. He is scheduled to be in court at 2 p.m., where Barnes said he will make his plea deal.
Plea deal changes death sentence to life sentence for convicted killer
Wave3.com
March 3, 2010
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A death row inmate who killed three women in Louisville will now spend life in prison. A judge approved the change in sentence for Beoria Simmons.
In the courtroom, Simmons apologized to the families of three women he abducted, raped and killed in the 1980s.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for all the grief and pain I've caused throughout the years," said Simmons. "You know, if I could undo it I'd undo it. But I can't, so I pray to God he'd bless you all, you know, just bring some peace to your life."
Kaye Barnes, the cousin of Simmons first victim, Robin Barnes, said she did not feel that a life sentence for Simmons was the justice was her cousin deserved.
Prosecutors say the plea deal was the best option to keep Simmons behind bars after problems were found with the jury selection at his original trial which could have given him a new one.
Beoria Abraham Simmons III
Classification: Serial killer
Characteristics: Kidnapping - Rape
Number of victims: 3
Date of murders: 1981 - 1983
Date of birth: May 17, 1954
Victims profile Robin Barnes, 15 / Shannon House, 29 / Nancy Bettman, 39
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on May 13, 1985. Commuted to life in prison without parole on March 3, 2010
SIMMONS, BEORIA A., DOB 5-17-54, was sentenced to death May 13, 1985 in Jefferson County for murder, rape, and four counts of kidnapping.
In three separate cases he abducted Robin Barnes, Shannon House, and Nancy Bettman, at gunpoint, raped and killed them. These crimes occurred May 18, 1981, March 25, 1982 and March 11, 1983 respectively. On June 11, 1983 he abducted a fourth victim who managed to escape and identify Simmons.
Beoria Simmons kidnapped, beat, raped, and executed three women with a pistol in Jefferson County in 1981, 1982, & 1983. A fourth would-be kidnapping/rape/murder victim escaped.
Victims:
Ms. Barnes
Ms. House
Ms. Bettman
*a fourth 16-year-old female survived
Beoria Simmons - Kentucky
Serial killer Beoria Simmons was convicted of three counts of murder and rape and four counts of kidnapping from the early eighties. Simmons would abduct white females at gunpoint, rape them and then shoot them. An intended victim finally escaped and identified Simmons, putting an end to his murder spree.
Simmons, who is black, was sentenced to the electric chair for kidnapping and murdering three women, whose bodies were dumped in or near Louisville's Iroquois Park.
A fourth victim, a 16-year-old girl, escaped as Simmons tried to rape her in 1983, then identified him to police. The murder victims, who also were raped, were Robin Barnes, 15, Shannon House, 29, and Nancy Bettman, 39. They were killed in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
Deal with serial killer could take him off death row
By Janelle MacDonald - Wave3.com
March 1, 2010
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A man who has been on Kentucky's death row for 25 years may not be for much longer. 55-year-old Beoria Simmons is scheduled to be in court on March 2. According to the family of his victim, Simmons is set to take a plea deal that no one convicted of three murders should be allowed to make.
Simmons' actions changed the life of Kaye Barnes life for good and ended the life of her cousins, Robin Barnes.
"She was raped, sodomized, and shot in the chest and once under the chin and out the temple," said Barnes. "Her left wrist was broke, I guess where she was trying to get out of the car and get away from him. It took three days to find her."
It took police two more years to find her killer.
Robin Barnes was Simmons first victim, but not his last. Between Robin's death on May 18, 1981 and his arrest June 11, 1983, Simmons also abducted, raped and killed Shannon House on March 25, 1982, and Nancy Bettman on March 11, 1983. Both of their bodies were dumped in Iroquois Park.
A fourth victim was abducted near Churchill Downs. She was also taken to Iroquois Park, where Simmons told her she was going to be raped. She stabbed him and got away. She helped police catch Simmons.
Simmons was sentenced to death in 1985 and has been appealing his case basically since then. His latest appeal, Barnes said, has resulted in a deal that will take him off death row and keep him in prison for life but only if he agrees to drop all appeals.
"It's not good enough for me," said Barnes.
Barnes said her family was told by prosecutors that the plea deal was for the best because if Simmons' appeal resulted in a new trial, there could be problems making a 29-year-old case.
"Original detectives, original witnesses and if they didn't have all these original people, half of them are dead now, that he could walk," said Barnes.
While she understands the reasoning, Barnes said it is unfair. She has waited for justice in her cousin's death and life in prison isn't what she waited for.
"I want to be there when he dies," said Barnes. "I don't want him to die in prison, I want him to die of lethal injection, what he was convicted for."
The Commonwealth's Attorney's office could not talk to us about this story because of Simmons' pending court hearing. He is scheduled to be in court at 2 p.m., where Barnes said he will make his plea deal.
Plea deal changes death sentence to life sentence for convicted killer
Wave3.com
March 3, 2010
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A death row inmate who killed three women in Louisville will now spend life in prison. A judge approved the change in sentence for Beoria Simmons.
In the courtroom, Simmons apologized to the families of three women he abducted, raped and killed in the 1980s.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for all the grief and pain I've caused throughout the years," said Simmons. "You know, if I could undo it I'd undo it. But I can't, so I pray to God he'd bless you all, you know, just bring some peace to your life."
Kaye Barnes, the cousin of Simmons first victim, Robin Barnes, said she did not feel that a life sentence for Simmons was the justice was her cousin deserved.
Prosecutors say the plea deal was the best option to keep Simmons behind bars after problems were found with the jury selection at his original trial which could have given him a new one.
Beoria Abraham Simmons III
