Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
An episode of Evil Lives Here will feature the interactions between Chalene Brook Leaser, a victim of Gary Simmons’ sexual assault, and Lori, his ex-wife, who was subject to domestic violence for years during their marriage. The episode will be aired on ID on Sunday, February 18, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
The Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mississippi, found Gary Simmons guilty of rape, kidnapping, and capital murder on August 29, 1997. Jeffrey Wolfe was shot and killed at Simmons’ home in the early morning of August 13, 1996. Simmons and Timothy Milano, who was his brother-in-law, allegedly owed Wolfe drug money, which Wolfe went to collect. Milano was also convicted of murder and kidnapping.
At that time, Wolfe had been dating Charlene Brook Leaser. She accompanied him on his visit to Gary Simmons’ home in Mississippi. Wolfe allegedly told Leaser that he had a gun on him. However, authorities never recovered the said weapon. A co-worker named Charles Jenkins claimed to have seen Simmons sharpening his knives, wrapping them up, and leaving with them from Wayne Lee’s Grocery, where he was a butcher. When asked about it, Simmons reportedly told him that he might have to “skin something out.”
When Wolfe and Leaser went to Simmons’ house to get the money, Gary Simmons was alone. Timothy Milano joined them later. They were reportedly smoking marijuana, and Leaser was at the kitchen table when she heard gunshots. She then ran and saw that Milano was holding a gun and had shot Wolfe, who was lying dead. Following this, Simmons raped Leaser. He allegedly offered Milano to rape her as well, but he declined, according to court records.
When was Gary Simmons executed?
Reportedly, after Milano shot Jeffrey Wolfe, Simmons allegedly used his knives to cut the body into pieces. As per Gulf Live, the body was dumped near Simmons’ Moss Point home. On the other hand, Leaser briefly fell asleep after the incident before a telephone ring awakened her that no one noticed. Realizing that the house might be empty, she grabbed a knife and ran across the street to a neighbor’s house, requesting help. Although Debbie Seab, the neighbor, did not let Leaser in, she contacted the authorities.
When police arrived at the crime scene after receiving a call from the neighbor, they found that Gary Simmons had borrowed a boat from another neighbor. The boat had blood on it. Various body parts of Wolfe, which contained bullet casings, were found in the bayou. Investigation revealed that Timothy Milano shot Wolfe five times in the back, once in the chest and once under the left arm.
Associated Press reported that following Gary Simmons’ arrest, he was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Jeffrey Wolfe. He also received separate life sentences for the kidnapping and rape charges. Timothy Milano, who was already a convicted drug dealer, was sentenced to life in prison. Although the court saw Milano as the one who pulled the trigger, Simmons was allegedly the one behind the crimes.
Gary Simmons was executed by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. He was 49 years old on June 20, 2012, when he died. Simmons was 33 years old when he was charged with rape, murder, and kidnapping, while Timothy Milano was just 21.
The upcoming episode of Evil Live Here will be aired on ID on Sunday, February 18, 2024, at 9 p.m.
