Ohio woman accused of killing granddaughter

[bossradio93]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/09/gra....ap/index.html

Ohio woman accused of killing granddaughter

Family shocked by Simpkins' actions

Thursday, March 9, 2006; Posted: 7:12 a.m. EST (12:12 GMT)


LaRUE, Ohio (AP) -- Using a key she knew was hidden outside, Gertrude Simpkins entered her granddaughter's house in this tiny farming community and waited, authorities say.

When Amanda Corbin, Simpkins' 26-year-old granddaughter, returned from work that afternoon, authorities say the 68-year-old shot her multiple times with a rifle Simpkins reloaded after each shot.

Minutes later, Amanda Corbin's husband came home, found his wife dead on the living room floor and was shot in the back.

Relatives wonder whether they missed signs of mental illness in the family matriarch.

"This was completely out of character and unexpected," Amanda Corbin's father, Robert Simmermon, wrote in a letter that was released publicly. "We want people to know that we still love and care for the Grandma Gerty that we all know. Our desire is to someday see the old Gertrude back again."

Simpkins crashed her car into a utility pole about 30 minutes after the February 16 shootings and was arrested. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder, felonious assault and aggravated burglary.

Amanda Corbin's husband, Brian, called 911 and told a sheriff's dispatcher that Simpkins had been depressed since the death of her longtime husband several years ago, but he did not know the motive for the shootings.

About a year ago, the family moved Simpkins to LaRue from her home near Pleasantville in south-central Ohio, said her attorney, Todd Anderson, who was hired by the family.

Family members had been concerned enough about Simpkins' depression that they planned to take her to see a doctor, Anderson said. She had grown distant and withdrawn, but there was nothing about her behavior that led the family to believe she was capable of violence, he said.

Simpkins loved her granddaughter and the two got along well, Anderson said.

Prosecutor Jim Slagle would not discuss a possible motive.

"This case is a tragedy," Slagle said. "I can't describe it any other way."

Simpkins, who is jailed without bond, will undergo a mental health evaluation, Slagle said. If convicted, she faces life in prison with a chance of parole after 23 years.

Simpkins appears despondent in jail, stares blankly and speaks little to family members who have visited her, including two of her three children, Anderson said.

"The Gertrude Simpkins that everyone knew was a very sweet, caring grandmother, and that's what makes this case so difficult," he said.

Brian Corbin, 26, is recovering from some broken ribs, Slagle said. He declined to be interviewed as did other family members.

The Corbins, who married in 2000, knew each other in high school but did not start dating until a year after they graduated. They lived in the country in a ranch-style house surrounded by crop fields and scattered farmhouses, about 60 miles northwest of Columbus.

Several days after the shootings, residents of LaRue -- population about 800 -- came together for a prayer service at two small churches that face each other across a street.

"There's a somber feeling all around town," said resident Jeannie Tucker, 48.

Copyright ©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CNN.com-March 9, 2006

[staypuftman2004]

this is sad thing to hear about