Kayce R. Simms : “Fatal Facebook Feud Ends in Tragedy”

By | June 1, 2024

1. Man murders man over grandmother’s social media post
2. Man fatally injures man due to grandmother’s online post.

Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Kayce R. Simms (Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)

Kayce R. Simms (Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office)

A 21-year-old individual in West Virginia faces the possibility of spending the remainder of his life incarcerated for the brutal killing of a 37-year-old man. The assailant, identified as Kayce R. Simms, fatally shot the victim, Ashtin Owens, following a dispute stemming from a contentious Facebook post. Fayette County Circuit Judge Thomas H. Ewing handed down a sentence of life imprisonment in a state correctional facility with the chance of parole for Simms’ involvement in the 2022 slaying, law enforcement authorities revealed.

After a trial, a jury found Simms guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting. Additionally, Simms was convicted of felony use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Judge Ewing imposed an additional 10-year sentence on the firearm charge, to be served consecutively to the life term.

Simms may be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 17.5 years behind bars, comprising 15 years for the murder conviction and an extra 2.5 years for the firearms offense.

According to a press release from the Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in West Virginia, law enforcement officers responded to a shooting incident at a residence on Teng Lane in November 2022. The property is situated approximately 50 miles northwest of Charleston, West Virginia.

Upon arrival at the scene, emergency responders discovered Owens, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Owens was airlifted to a trauma center in Charleston but tragically succumbed to his injuries shortly after admission, resulting in his untimely death.

Authorities determined that the fatal shooting was triggered by an altercation between Simms’ grandmother and Owens earlier in the day, which was subsequently posted on Facebook.

“During the investigation, it was revealed that Owens had engaged in a dispute with Simms’ grandmother earlier in the day,” prosecutors stated in the release. “Subsequently, Simms acquired a firearm from an associate and proceeded to Owens’ residence to confront him for disrespecting his grandmother. Upon entering Owens’ home, Simms engaged in a brief argument with Owens before shooting him twice with the firearm. Simms then fled the scene.”

At the time of the incident, three witnesses were present in Owens’ residence. Of these witnesses, two were able to positively identify Simms as the perpetrator, according to prosecutors.

“Upon seeing the Facebook post, he contacted his grandmother to ascertain the details of the situation, which prompted Mr. Simms to procure a firearm and later that evening confront Mr. Owens, resulting in the fatal shooting,” remarked Fayette County Prosecutor Anthony Ciliberti in a statement. “There was absolutely no justification for this tragic event. There were no allegations against Mr. Owens other than engaging in an argument with this individual’s grandmother.”

 

 

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1. Man kills man over grandma’s Facebook post
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