SC Domestic Dispute turns deadly; Woman & 4 children dea
Updated Oct. 2, 2006, 10:01 a.m. ET S.C. man held without bond for allegedly murdering his wife and her four children NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A man was charged Sunday with murdering his wife and her four children in a domestic dispute at their home, authorities said. Michael Simmons, 41, appeared at a bond hearing via video link from the Charleston County jail on Sunday and was ordered held without bond on five counts of murder. Officers discovered the bodies, including that of a 6-year-old, on Saturday after a witness saw the bodies in the home and called police, according to a police affidavit. Simmons was captured as he tried to drive from the scene. The victims had been shot with a handgun sometime between 3 a.m. and 5:45 a.m., the affidavit said. Simmons was not the children's father, Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said. Simmons and Detra Rainey Simmons had been married for more than a year, authorities and her relatives said. "This appears to have been a domestic situation that turned deadly," said Spencer Pryor, a North Charleston police spokesman. Melba Rainey Thompson said her sister worked at a hospital, was attending nursing school and was undergoing the second phase of chemotherapy for colon cancer. "Her children were always there for her to comfort her when she went through the pain," Thompson said. The coroner had earlier identified the victims as Detra Rainey, 39, and her children William Rainey, 16, Hakiem Rainey, 13, Malachia Robinson, 8, and Samenia Robinson, 6. Rainey Simmons had a fifth child, 21-year-old Christan, who attends Southern University in Louisiana, relatives said. The family belonged to St. Andrews Episcopal Mission, where the children attended vacation Bible school and sang in the choir, relatives said. "Words can't express the impact this has had on our family," relative Gene Fanning said at the bond hearing. "It's a devastating loss. We want him held fully accountable for his actions." Fanning said later that Simmons was disabled and unemployed. The jail did not have any attorney information for Simmons. Monique Singleton, who lives across the street in the subdivision of about two dozen mobile homes, said that four children lived in the home and that her children occasionally played with them. "They were nice people; they seemed fine," she said. http://www.courttv.com/news/2006/1002/michael_simmons_ap.html

Slayings in Ferndale Year marked by violence adds 5 victims Monday, October 02, 2006 GRACE BEAHM/STAFF BY NOAH HAGLUND AND EDWARD C. FENNELL If Detra Rainey had a hobby, it was her children. Her four youngest kids, ages 6 to 16, cared for their mom during her battle with colon cancer as much as she cared for them, family and friends said Sunday. North Charleston police found all five of them dead in their Ferndale area mobile home on Saturday afternoon. Investigators say Rainey's husband, Michael Anthony Simmons, shot them in the early morning. Simmons was charged Sunday with five counts of murder. The 39-year-old mother had celebrated her first-year wedding anniversary with Simmons just weeks ago, and their relationship appeared solid to some of her closest family members. They knew of no fights at the home on 1933 Marson St., where the couple had relocated from West Ashley three to four months earlier. Though Simmons, 41, was not the children's father, he appeared to love them and encouraged them to pursue sports, family and friends said. "We are numbed and shocked right now," said a brother-in-law, Gene Fanning, reading a statement Sunday afternoon. "We want to thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support extended to us." He asked for continued support as they "travel down this long road of grief and recovery." The slayings come during an already unprecedented year for violence in the Charleston area. The deaths brought North Charleston to an all-time high of 22 homicides so far this year. Charleston has had 17 homicides, its highest total since 1969, when there were 20. And three months remain in the year. Arrest warrant affidavits charge Simmons with shooting Rainey and the four children inside their home between 3 and 5:45 a.m. Police discovered the bodies after responding to the home at 1:47 p.m. Saturday. An unidentified witness had tipped authorities off to the bodies, the affidavits state. Police said they pulled Simmons over nearby as he tried to drive away from the area. Neighbors reported seeing Simmons sitting on his porch for much of the day, almost until the very moment police arrived. Some said he looked fidgety. If police are correct about the time of death, the slain family members were lying inside the beige and red metal-sided trailer the whole time. The Coroner's Office identified the children as William Lee Rainey, 16; Hakiem Rainey, 13; Malachi Robinson, 8, and Samenia Robinson, 6. Family members said Samenia's 7th birthday celebration had been planned for Saturday. Deputy Coroner Dottie Lindsay said three autopsies were planned Sunday and two more today. She released few details about what authorities found inside the trailer, saying it was part of the investigation. People who lived alongside the family said they never heard any previous arguments, or any gunshots on Saturday morning. In their statement, Rainey's surviving family members asked the community to support the faculty, staff, classmates and friends of the children, who all attended public schools in West Ashley. William played junior varsity football at West Ashley High School, and Hakiem played for West Ashley Middle School. The two younger children attended Springfield Elementary School. The smaller children were often in and out of the homes on Marson Street, playing with other kids their age. Neighbors described all the children as pleasant and courteous, especially toward their mother. Detra Rainey's older sister, Melba Rainey-Thompson, said: "Her children were always there to comfort her." She said her sister grew up in the Orleans Woods section of West Ashley and worked in the cleaning department at Roper Hospital. She had attended classes at Beta Tech until her illness became too severe. Rainey was trying to move to the Orleans Garden Apartments in West Ashley, Rainey-Thompson said, so the children would be closer to their schools. Rainey's older son attends Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., family members said. In Ferndale, people knew Michael Simmons by the nickname "Chopper." Neighbors described him as a thin man with a bad limp who walked with a cane. Rainey's family said he was disabled and didn't work. Criminal records from the State Law Enforcement Division show that Simmons had a violent past. He was convicted in 1988 of armed robbery, assault and battery with intent to kill and second-degree burglary. Rainey-Thompson said she was unaware that Simmons had prior criminal convictions. Her "baby sister," as she called Detra, had never expressed any fear of him, she said. During his bail hearing Sunday morning, Simmons appeared nervous, yet polite. "Tell Mr. Gene I apologize," Simmons said after the victim's brother-in-law made a victim-impact statement to the court. Fanning said later the apology was worthless. "What good is that statement?" he asked. "What does that mean? What good is an apology when he's taken five lives?" Magistrate Patricia Baldwin did not set bail, because a circuit judge must set bail on a murder charge. The case has attracted national attention, appearing on 24-hour cable news stations over the weekend. For residents on Marson Street, the magnitude of the events have only begun to sink in. Margaret Merritt, who lives across the street, didn't notice anything amiss when she left for work around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Later in the day, her sister called from Texas after seeing news of the killings on television. "You don't really think about it unless you know that person," Merritt said. "They were all really sweet kids." The latest developments: Michael Anthony Simmons, 41, was charged with killing his wife, Detra Rainey, and four of her children. Simmons was convicted in 1988 of armed robbery, assault and battery with intent to kill and second-degree burglary, court records show. Rainey grew up in West Ashley and the children attended public schools there. They moved to North Charleston a few months earlier, friends and family said. Reach Noah Haglund at nhaglund@postandcourier.com or 937-5550. Reach Edward C. Fennell at 937-5502 or efennell@postandcourier.com. http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=111157&pubDate=10/2/2006