In the quiet town of Sutherland, Nebraska, the autumn of 1975 was shattered by an act of unimaginable violence that claimed the life of 56-year-old Audrey Marie Matson Kellie and five members of her family. On the evening of October 18, a neighbor, 33-year-old Erwin Charles Simants, embarked on a horrific rampage that would leave an indelible scar on the small community.
The tragedy began to unfold after Simants had been drinking at local bars.
He returned to the home he shared with his sister, which was adjacent to the Kellie residence. Armed with a. 22-caliber rifle he had taken from his brother-in-law's room, he went to the Kellie home.
Inside the house, the night descended into a nightmare. Simants' rampage began with the sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Florence Marie Kellie. When her grandfather, 66-year-old James Henry Kellie, came to investigate the commotion, Simants shot and killed him. Shortly after, Audrey Marie Kellie entered her home and was met with the same brutal fate, shot in the forehead. The violence continued as David LeRoy Kellie, Audrey's 32-year-old son, arrived with his two young children, 6-year-old Deanna Lynn and 5-year-old Daniel Leroy. Simants shot and killed them as well.
After the killings, Simants returned to his sister's house, unloaded the rifle, and left a cryptic note stating, "I am sorry to all it is the best way out do not crie. " He then confessed the murders to his nephew, his parents, and eventually the authorities were called. Simants was arrested the following morning, on October 19, 1975, after spending the night in a field behind his sister's home.
Erwin Charles Simants was charged with six counts of first-degree murder. His subsequent legal proceedings were complex. He was initially found guilty and sentenced to death. However, this verdict was later overturned due to jury tampering. In a second trial, Simants was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to a state mental institution.
