Sex offender released by Connecticut judge

By Margo Sullivan
Staff writer

May 06, 2008 05:57 am

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DERRY — Douglas Simmons is a free man once more.

The convicted child murderer, who caused a furor in Derry in January when he moved into an apartment two doors away from Derry Montessori School, walked out of Hartford Superior Court yesterday with no legal troubles looming over his head. But his criminal record is now one conviction longer.

Simmons, 47, was found guilty of failing to notify the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry about a change of address in 2006, a felony charge. Yesterday, he produced proof that he is now properly registered as a sex offender and was given an unconditional release, according to the criminal court clerk, meaning he won't serve jail time or go on probation.

The state prosecutor's office said this is the typical outcome when a sex offender has broken the sex offender registry regulations but has since come into compliance.

After being arrested at a homeless shelter in East Hartford on March 1, Simmons had been free on bail pending yesterday's pretrial hearing.

Simmons moved to 71 East Broadway, Apt. 3, in Derry in late January after serving 22 years in prison for the kidnap and murder of 6-year-old Michelle Spencer in Norwich, Conn. He strangled the girl with a phone cord and then sexually assaulted her body.

His move to Derry sparked public outcry among parents concerned that he was living within a mile of three schools, a park and a town library. Unlike other states, New Hampshire does not have laws preventing sex offenders from living near schools or places where children play. The Derry Town Council considered adopting a local ordinance to restrict sex offender housing, but tabled the idea during a recent public hearing.

After the outcry, Simmons moved back to Connecticut. He had been living with his fiancee and her two teenage children at the East Broadway apartment.

State lawmakers are now taking steps to strengthen the state's sex offender registry to list more charges, classify offenders in three categories and provide more details. That would address one of the chief complaints surrounding the Simmons incident — that the registry only showed his kidnapping conviction while omitting the murder.

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