Daxcimo Ceja, a 48-year-old White / Caucasian male, became the subject of a homicide investigation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 30, 2022. For a significant time, the investigation proceeded without the discovery of his body. It wasn't until an anonymous tip on October 5, 2023, that law enforcement was led to a drainage culvert near the 500 block of West Polk Street.
Inside, they found a bag containing human remains, which were later confirmed to be those of Ceja through an autopsy on October 11, 2023.
The investigation into Ceja's disappearance and death quickly focused on Deka Simmons, a 40-year-old woman from Colorado Springs. A warrant for her arrest for first-degree murder was issued on April 5, 2022, and she was taken into custody two days later by the Colorado Springs Police Department's Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force and the Tactical Enforcement Unit. According to court testimony, a witness claimed to have seen Simmons shoot Ceja in a garage. Further evidence presented during the trial included DNA from blood found in the garage, which was linked to Simmons.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Simmons's motive was a deep-seated hatred for individuals who had committed sexual offenses. It was revealed that Simmons had discovered Ceja allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl when he was 25. This information reportedly drove her to commit the murder. On August 21, 2024, Deka Simmons was found guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation, tampering with a deceased human body, and tampering with physical evidence. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, with an additional 24 years for tampering with a deceased human body and three more years for tampering with physical evidence, to be served consecutively. In a statement during the sentencing, Ceja's mother mentioned that her son was killed for something that allegedly happened 24 years prior and expressed relief that Simmons would no longer be able to harm other families.
