We Are Darius Simmons

Darius Simmons was described as a fun-loving sixth-grader who loved to crack jokes and play basketball. The 13-year-old’s life come to a shocking end on May 31, outside of his Milwaukee home, when his family’s 75-year-old neighbor shot him after accusing the boy of robbing his house.

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Patricia Larry on Inside Edition tonight

Patricia Larry will be on Inside Edition at 9:30pm on CBS 58 tonight.

Tune in shortly to see her interview.

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Spooner gets life

John Spooner was sentenced today for the murder of Darius Simmons.

Spooner received a sentence of life in prison without parole from Judge Jeffrey Wanger.

"There should never be any light in the tunnel for you," Wagner said, while sentencing Spooner

Spooner was found guilty on Wednesday and his insanity defense was rejected Friday.

At court, Patricia Larry made this statement: "My pain is so great. I wasn't sure I would be able to do this. I'm here for my son Darius Simmons. I want (Spooner) to have life in prison. He is a menace to society. We need to put the guns down. No mother should have to go through this."

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Spooner will be sentenced Monday July 22 at 1:00pm

Court will convene Monday at 1:00pm to sentence John Spooner for the murder of Darius Simmons.

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Phase 2 verdict in: Insanity plea has been denied, Spooner headed to jail

John Spooner's claim of not guilty be reason of mental disease or defect (insanity) has been rejected by he Jury!

He will now await sentencing for murdering Darius Simmons.

The jury saw through claims by Spooner's lawyer that his client did not know what he was doing. Spooner himself shed light on his calculated and cold-blooded state of mind with his testimony yesterday.

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Jury reaches verdict

The jury has reached a verdict in the second phase of the John Spooner trial, determining whether or not Spooner will be found not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

The verdict will be announced by the jury soon. Stay tuned.

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"I would call it justice."

The world was given a clear picture of John Spooner's hateful, depraved and downright awful state of mind towards Darius Simmons today when Spooner took the stand.

Much to the surprise of those in the audience, Spooner characterized his shooting of an unarmed child as 'justice'.

"I wouldn't call it [his actions] vengeance" said Spooner. When asked what he would consider it, he said "I would call it justice.". Spooner also said he would have gunned down his brother had his gun not jammed.

Court will reconvene in the morning, stay tuned.

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Spooner is on the stand

Spooner took to the witness stand to speak to the court regarding the murder of Darius Simmons.

This is a break from his earlier refusals to testify in the case.

We'll post links to video of the testimony if any of the media sources captured it on camera.

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Spooner has been found competent

John Spooner has been found competent to stand trial. The trial will go forth as planned.

Spooner's lawyer called into question Spooner's mental fitness this morning, resulting in the recess that took place until around 2:30pm.

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Court to resume at 2:30pm

The court will resume at 2:30pm today.

John Spooner's defense lawyer is attempting to have his client found not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

This recess resulted from a claim by the defense that Spooner is unfit to stand trial. Spooner is being evaluated for mental fitness.

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Court adjourns for the day

The court has adjourned for today.

Court will resume tomorrow at 8:45am. At that time, Phase 2 of the trial will resume as John Spooner's attorney will continue to push for a verdict of not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

Recap of today's key court activities

In Phase 1 of the trial the jury started deliberating on the charge of First-degree Intentional Homicide and returns with a guilty verdict in less than an hour.

Phase 2 begins with testimony from psychiatrists from the defense (Spooner) team.

More updates to come tomorrow.

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Testimony right now on Spooner's mental state

The defense has hired a psychiatrist, Dr. Basil Jackson, who is giving testimony right now in phase 2 of the trial.

The defense is trying to get John Spooner found not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

More updates to come.

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Verdict is in for phase 1: GUILTY

The jury's verdict is in. John Spooner has been found guilty of first degree intentional homicide in the murder of Darius Simmons.

The trial is beginning it's second phase now. Spooner's attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, will be arguing that Spooner is not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

More updates to come.

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Jury has reached verdict in phase 1

BREAKING! The jury has come to a verdict in the first phase of the trial. Announcement will be coming soon as to what that verdict is.

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Still in jury selection

The jury is still being selected for the trial. It is unsure how much longer this will take. It may be going on until 4:30pm. Stay tuned.

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Jury selection at 1:00pm today

The trial of John Spooner in the murder of Darius Simmons is progressing today, with the selection of the jury from a pool of approximately 50 people taking place at 1:00pm. Updates will be forthcoming.

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Fire & Police Commission meeting Thursday, Public Statement on investigation of murder of Darius Simmons

The Fire & Police Commission will be having a meeting on Thursday October 4, 2012. At this meeting they will be issuing a public statement on the investigation of the murder of Darius Simmons. Following this there will be a period for public comments.

The Meeting will take place: Thursday October 4, 2012 at 5:30pm Milwaukee City Hall, Room 301-A 200 E. Wells St. Milwaukee, WI 53202

The full agenda for this meeting is here.

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Spooner competent to stand trial

At today's hearing, John Spooner was found competent to stand trial for the murder of Darius Simmons.

Spooner's court date will be November 19, 2012.