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Ronald Gene Simmons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 15, 1940 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 1990 (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | Bersabe Rebecca "Becky" Ulibarri (m. 1960; died 1987) |
| Children | 7 |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder (16 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Date | December 22–28, 1987 |
| Country | United States |
| Location(s) | Dover and Russellville, Arkansas |
| Target(s) | Family, acquaintance, strangers |
| Killed | 16 |
| Injured | 4 |
| Weapons |
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Ronald Gene Simmons | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Navy (1957–63) United States Air Force (c. 1965–1979) |
| Years of service | 1957–1963 (USN) c. 1965–1979 (USAF) |
| Rank |  Master sergeant (USAF) |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Airforce Ribbon for Excellent Marksmanship |
| Spouse(s) | Bersabe Rebecca "Becky" Ulibarri (died 1987) |
Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. (July 15, 1940 – June 25, 1990) was an American mass murderer who killed 16 people over a week-long period in Arkansas in 1987 and wounded several others. A retired military serviceman, Simmons murdered fourteen members of his family, including a daughter he had sexually abused and the child he had fathered with her, as well as a former co-worker, and a stranger; he also wounded four others. He is the most prolific mass murderer in Arkansas history.[1] His shooting is also the deadliest mass shooting in Arkansas history.
Simmons was sentenced to death on each of the sixteen counts, and after refusing to appeal his sentence, was executed on June 25, 1990. His refusal to appeal was the subject of a 1990 US Supreme Court case, Whitmore v. Arkansas.