Statesville Man Gets More Than Ten Years For Death Of Stepson

31-year-old Jordan Hoyt Simmons of Statesville has been sentenced to a minimum of more than ten years in prison in connection to the 2019 death of a two-year-old boy.

On September 5, 2019, the Statesville Police Department received a call and dispatched officers to an address on Alexander Street in response to an unresponsive two-year-old child. Upon arrival at the scene, officers spoke with Jordan Simmons, who was identified as the child’s stepfather.

Simmons reported that he had taken the child on a motorcycle ride earlier that day, which resulted in an accident. He further stated that upon returning home, he placed the child in a bathtub filled with water before briefly leaving the premises. When he returned, he discovered the child unresponsive in the bathtub. Despite immediate transportation to Iredell Memorial Hospital, the child passed away.

The investigation, led by the Criminal Investigations Division, uncovered evidence suggesting that the child’s injuries were inconsistent with the initial account provided by Jordan Simmons. As the investigation progressed, Simmons was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse with serious injury.

On December 12, Simmons entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder during a court hearing presided over by the Honorable J. Crosswhite. In an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit to committing the crime but agrees that the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

Assistant District Attorney Carrie Nitzu prosecuted the case, which resulted in Judge Crosswhite sentencing Simmons to an active term of 125 to 164 months (10 years, five months to 13 years, eight months).

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY