‘UNRESTRAINED HATRED’: Woman caged in body parts murder of sex offender

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Deka Simmons carried an obsessive hatred of child molesters.

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That was bad news for convicted sex offender Daxcimo Ceja — even though his crime was allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl when he was 25.

A Colorado court heard those facts didn’t matter to Simmons as she was convicted of first-degree murder.

Last week, the 40-year-old was sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting Ceja. The registered sex offender’s remains were dumped into a drainage ditch in bags.

In addition to the grisly murder, Simmons received an additional 24 years for tampering with the body and another three years for tampering with physical evidence.

Prosecutor Sharon Flaherty said in her closing argument that Simmons killed Ceja because he was a registered sex offender who had a relationship with the teen girl when he was eight years older than her.

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At the time he was killed, Ceja had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender.

“(Simmons) has an unrestrained hatred for anyone who would molest a child,” Flaherty said, calling it a “fixation” and “paranoia.”

Ceja’s devastated parents delivered tear-jerking victim-impact statements.

“(Ceja) was killed for something he did 24 years ago,” mom Karen Fancher said. “She won’t be on the street to hurt anyone else’s families like she has done her whole entire life.”

His father Barry added: “Dax (Ceja) was a good person. He didn’t deserve to go out this way.”

According to cops, a witness watched as Simmons shot Ceja in a garage in April 2022. She then dismembered his body and stored the remains in her freezer before using her van to dump her sickening cargo.

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Homicide detectives linked Simmons to the slaying through DNA collected from blood at the crime scene.

Ceja’s remains were not recovered until October 2023 when a tipster reported finding human remains stashed in a bag.

Simmons is no stranger to courthouses and jail cells. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that she has an extensive criminal history, including a conviction for being an accessory to the murder of a fellow inmate.

She was sentenced to 12 years in prison for her role in the murder of Donna Oliveta.

SUSPECT IN THREE OTHER MURDERS

During a court hearing in 2022, it emerged that Simmons is a suspect in three other unsolved murders. One homicide detective testified that a snitch claimed she was responsible for the slayings.

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She has not been charged in any of the other murders. Investigators say the probe is “ongoing.”

She was also convicted of stabbing her stepfather during a custody fight with him over her daughter, the Gazette reported.

Her daughter’s fate appears to have been the driving force in Simmons’ hatred of child molesters. She believes the girl has been the victim of sex traffickers.

At one point during proceedings, the killer exploded at the judge, after prosecutors stated “there were court proceedings to keep (Simmons’ daughter) safe — from her.”

Simmons screamed: “You don’t know s*** about me! F*** you!”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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