Though a jury found Billy Hardee not guilty on deadly hit-and-run charges, family members of Rashonn Roy Simmons, the man who was killed in the incident, say justice was not served.
“I'm killing inside. The family, the grandmother, and everybody. They're killing inside,” said Ella Hemingway, Rashonn Simmons's mother.
Simmons's family walked out of the courtroom immediately after the not-guilty verdict came in.
His mother says they did that because they wanted to hide their anger with the jury's decision, and gather privately away from the courtroom.
The not guilty verdict also did not bring her closure to the incident she says has been haunting her since the day she learned her son was found dead in a ditch.
“I didn't understand it. And then, it hurt me, because I’ve been gutless for three years and I thought something would just happen to re-fill my guts and my heart when I’m still empty,” said Hemingway.
Hemingway says she feels worse and worse with each day that goes by without her son. She says she thought she might have a heart-attack after the jury ruled in favor of Hardee.
Elouiese Simmons, grandmother of Rashonn Simmons, also says she was frustrated by the court’s decision.
“My grandson was a smart young guy who'd come over here…He'd see me. We'd sit and eat. We'd talk and everything. He was just a loving young man. I loved him to death. He was my oldest grandson,” said Simmons.
Simmons and Hemingway say though they walked out of the courtroom immediately after the jury's decision today, without comment, they still want justice.
Simmons’s mother says the family is exploring other legal options, however, they would not elaborate on what they have in mind.
The criminal and civil cases against Billy Hardee have both been completed, so it appears another court case is not a possibility.
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