Amy German said she heard from him just a few hours before she received the call every mother fears the most.

James Simmons, her 27-year-old son, was dead.

Now three Orangeburg men face charges that they robbed Simmons before he died. An Orangeburg woman has been charged with robbery, plus leaving Simmons on the side of the road.

“I blame her for his death, because if she had not come to Charleston, if she had not made these plans ... and then she left him there,” Simmons’ mother said. “She’s a beast!”



German and nine other Charleston-area family members were in Orangeburg Wednesday to attend a bond hearing for three of four individuals charged with robbing Simmons, the Johns Island man found dead on Charleston Highway Monday afternoon.

Investigators are calling Rochell C. Peeples, 31, of 4067 Charleston Highway the mastermind of an attempt to rob Simmons of a large sum of money, Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said.

Peeples has been charged with strong-arm robbery and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of a person.

Bryce Leon Hayne, 17, of 312 Palm Harbor Drive; Steve George Green, 18, of 1348 Crepe Myrtle Way and Kasheem Montrell Brown, 20, 1350 Middle Pen Road have all been charged with strong-arm robbery.

Orangeburg County Magistrate Richard Murray set a $15,000 personal recognizance bond on both Hayne and Green. Brown was not arrested until late Wednesday, so bond has not yet been set on him.

On Peeples, Murray levied a $75,000 surety bond.

“Are you aware of the charges?” Murray said.

Yes, sir,” Peeples replied.

German had no kind words for Peeples.

“I would like to say that’s a cold-hearted young lady,” she said. “My grandchild no longer has a father. She can touch her child. My son cannot. This young lady plotted this whole thing.”

Peeples did not react.

Investigators allege Peeples met Simmons in a nightclub about three months ago and kept in contact. They claim when Simmons received a $10,000 work-related settlement from an accident, Peeples schemed to rob the man known to his friends as “Q-Ball.”

Knowing of his search for a Buick Roadmaster, Peeples drove to Simmons’ home on Monday and drove him back to Orangeburg with Simmons under the impression she was showing him a car, investigators say.

However, Simmons was taken to a Bethel Forest Road location where he and Peeples met a second vehicle. Three men inside the vehicle then allegedly tried to rob Simmons of an estimated $3,000.

Simmons fled across a field toward a nearby convenience store in the Midway community between Orangeburg and Bowman. The three men allegedly pursued him on foot but slowed to pick up money that investigators say was falling out of his pockets.

At about 2:50 p.m., the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call saying an armed robbery was in progress. Deputies set out for Midway.

Investigators believe Peeples drove to another convenience store nearby where she met another pair of men. She allegedly drove back to the Midway convenience store where she beckoned Simmons back into the car under the guise of helping him get away, OCSO spokesperson Keisa Peterson said.

When Simmons entered the vehicle, he was allegedly assaulted a second time by the two men Peeples had picked up. Peterson said the names of those two individuals have not been released yet.

Meantime, as deputies arrived, a passing motorist flagged down the first officer on the scene. The motorist was pointing out a body about a quarter-mile from the store.

It was Simmons.

Investigators believe Simmons jumped out of the vehicle himself.

An autopsy revealed earlier this week that Simmons died of blunt force trauma to the head.

German said her son called her around 11:15 a.m. Monday to say he would look at the car and be on his way home soon. But as time passed, Simmons began to worry.

“I said ‘Lord, he should be back from Orangeburg by now,’” Simmons said.

Then the call came. She was told her son was found beside Charleston Highway in Orangeburg County. Someone tried to rob him of his settlement money.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t believe that young lady did that to my son,’” Simmons said, recalling her disbelief. “I was speechless. She knew he was injured. She left him there.”

Lachondria Taylor said her cousin was treated as if he were a dead dog or a piece of litter.

“They’re heartless. They’re heartless, especially that girl,” she said.

German said her son was harmless, “loving and caring.” He was father to five-year-old Omari, his only child.

“He was a son, a father. He was a humble young man who didn’t hurt anyone,” Simmons said. “I’m not going to stop until justice is done.”

When he wasn’t building cabinets in the Charleston area, “Q-Ball” enjoyed writing songs and making music, his mother said.

Simmons said the last song her son recorded was captured on a CD. James Simmons called his last work, “Teardrops,” a dark tragedy about a man being murdered on his birthday.

“I’m crying now teardrops ... his heart stopped, his pulse stopped, it was the end of life,” James Simmons wrote.

German said the Simmons’ funeral is planned for noon Saturday at the Abundant Life Church on Johns Island.



T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516.

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