STATESVILLE, N.C. — A man has been found guilty to murdering a 2-year-old in Statesville back in 2019.
On Sept. 5, 2019, then-27-year-old Jordan Simmons was arrested in connection with the death of 2-year-old Sevynn Clark.
Police and EMS were called to the 1200 block of Alexander Street around 11:30 a.m. that day when Simmons found his stepchild unresponsive. Though Sevynn was rushed to Iredell Memorial Hospital, he later died from his injuries.
Simmons reportedly told detectives in 2019 he had taken Sevynn on a motorcycle ride that day that day but an accident had happened. When he got home, he claimed he put Sevynn in a filled bathtub before leaving the house. But when he returned, Simmons told police Sevynn was unresponsive.
Upon further investigation, it was determined Sevynn's injuries did not align with Simmons' claims which led to his arrest in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Simmons was initially charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse with serious injury.
More than four years later, Simmons entered an Alford plea, which is named after the federal case which allows for the sentencing of a defendant who maintains their innocence. An Alford-type guilty plea typically means the defendant decided it would be better to do that rather than take their chances in a criminal trial. At that point, the presiding judge sentenced Simmons to an active term of 125 to 164 months.