81-year-old robbery victim questions suspect's quick parole: 'He could have killed me'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An 81-year-old robbery victim doesn't understand why the suspect in her case was paroled so quickly after a murder conviction. The suspect's mother is finally providing answers.

Eyewitness News has been reporting on Benny Simmons since last week.

He shot a man to death at the age of 14 but was released on parole just two years after being sentenced.

Three months after his release, police say he robbed Sandra Glenn in the parking lot of her Alief apartment complex on April 3.

Glenn says he started tugging on the lanyard around her neck that holds her keys, knocking her to the ground and sending her to the hospital.

"He could have killed me," Glenn said.

After taking her keys, Glenn said Simmons drove off in her car before crashing into seven cars in the parking lot.

It wasn't until after his arrest two weeks later that she learned about his history.

In 2021, he robbed and murdered 21-year-old Shaka Haywood at his southwest Houston apartment. According to a search warrant, he told police he was already on probation for a series of robberies.

"Shot my son eight times with no remorse," Haywood's mother, Deidra Stewart, told Eyewitness News last week.

Simmons was charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. In September 2022, he was sentenced to 20 years in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

"I think they need to find out why he got out. I don't - that just makes no sense," Glenn said.

In Texas, juvenile criminal records are sealed. But after Eyewitness News' initial reports, Simmons' mother stepped forward to provide context.

She told Eyewitness News that Simmons accepted a plea deal. It required him to plead guilty to murder instead of capital murder. In exchange, she says he was guaranteed a parole hearing before his 18th birthday.

"Either the Texas Juvenile Justice board can let them out or the judge can let them out," attorney Joe Vinas, who isn't affiliated with the case, said.

In Simmons' case, his mother says it was the Juvenile Justice Department board that made the decision to release him in December 2024.

The board is composed of nine members appointed by the governor who aren't accountable to voters.

Texas' juvenile confidentiality laws ensure the board members never have to explain their decisions.

"One possible hypothetical is that there's so much good stuff about him in that juvenile probation report," Vinas said.

Simmons' mother says her son got his GED and construction certifications while in prison. She said he also takes medication for ADHD and bipolar disorder.

Regarding the latest robbery her son's been charged with, she says she's not sure what to believe but says Simmons is a "menace" if he did it.

"I hope he has to serve the time that he's supposed to serve," Glenn said.

If Simmons is convicted of the robbery, his parole can be revoked, and he would have to serve the remainder of his 20-year murder sentence.

In the robbery case, he could potentially face life in prison because of the age of the victim.

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