The mother of a 4-year-old kid who passed away in Broward more than 11 years ago is charged with murder

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – At the age of four, Antwan “AJ” Hope, Jr. passed away in Broward County more than 11 years ago. Both his paternal grandmother, Sharon Walker, and his maternal grandmother, Shaunte Rivers, said that years before to his death, his mother, Destene Simmons, had attempted to suffocate him with a pillow.

According to Rivers, Simmons experienced sadness and schizophrenia. Simmons, 34, was being held on accusations of first-degree murder and severe child abuse at the Broward main jail in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. She was taken into custody by Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies on Friday.

Simmons was in front of Joseph Murphy III, the Circuit Judge. Murphy was approached by public defender Devika Carr to request a mental health order. Murphy commanded that a film be shown. David Steinberg, the assistant state attorney, inquired about her defense. Murphy designated a public attorney.

Murphy informed Simmons in court, “At this point, the court advises the defendant that you are not supposed to speak to anyone about this case without your attorney’s presence.”

On Saturday, Simmons appeared in court for approximately sixty seconds. An thorough story on Antwan’s 2013 death was published by Local 10 News.

On June 10, 2013, in Coral Springs, Simmons, then 23 years old, called 911 multiple times, hung up each time, and then ultimately requested that police officers come to her home. Antwan had just finished pre-kindergarten. When the responding police arrived, they discovered Antwan dead.

Simmons was the subject of a child abuse investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families prior to the tragic event. In 2011, DCF took Antwan from his family and gave him to his paternal aunt Deborah Jackson for a short while.

Antwan Hope Sr., who was 28 at the time, accused DCF and ChildNet, a DCF contractor, of allowing his son to remain alone with Simmons while the inquiry was still on. Walker and Jackson confirmed their agreement to The Miami Herald.

After the boy’s first unsupervised visit with his mother since she had attempted to kill him in 2011 ended tragic, Jackson told The Miami Herald, “They put him in the hands of death.”

Murphy set Simmons’ bond at $25,000 for the charge of aggravated child abuse and refused her bond for the murder accusation when she appeared in court on Saturday morning.