In the quiet town of Dover, Arkansas, the Christmas season of 1987 was irrevocably shattered by a chilling wave of violence that began within the walls of the Simmons family home. Bersabe Rebecca Simmons, a 46-year-old female, became the first victim in a gruesome familicide orchestrated by her husband, Ronald Gene Simmons. On December 22, 1987, what should have been a time of festive preparation turned into a scene of unimaginable horror as Ronald bludgeoned and shot his wife.
The
violence did not end with Bersabe's tragic death. It was merely the prelude to a systematic annihilation of an entire family. Following the murder of his wife, Ronald Gene Simmons turned on his own children. His 26-year-old son, Ronald Jr., was the next to fall, followed by his 3-year-old granddaughter, Barbara, who was strangled. As his other children returned home, filled with the anticipation of the holiday, they were met with a similar fate. Over the next few days, he continued his horrific spree, killing his children one by one through methods of strangulation and drowning.
The massacre culminated on December 26th, when other family members arrived for what they believed would be a joyous Christmas gathering. Instead, they walked into a house of death. Ronald murdered his son Billy, his wife Renata, and their 20-month-old son, Trae. He also took the lives of his daughter Sheila, her husband Dennis McNulty, and their two children, Sylvia and Michael. In total, fourteen members of his family perished at his hands.
With his family decimated, Ronald Gene Simmons' rampage extended beyond the confines of his home. On December 28th, he drove to Russellville, Arkansas, where he continued his killing spree. He shot and killed a former co-worker, Kathy Kendrick, and a stranger, James David Chaffin, while wounding several others. It was only after this final act of violence that he surrendered to the police without resistance.
Ronald Gene Simmons was subsequently arrested and charged with 16 counts of murder. He was found competent to stand trial, where he was convicted and sentenced to death. In a final, chilling twist, Simmons waived all of his rights to appeal, expressing a desire for a swift execution. On June 25, 1990, he was executed by lethal injection at the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County, Arkansas.
