Quinton Simon’s mother, Leilani, desperately pleads for release from prison as a murder trial looms

QUINTON Simon’s mum has pleaded desperately to be released from prison after facing 19 charges related to the death of her toddler.

Leilani Simon, 23, is accused of hitting her 20-month-old son and throwing his body in a dumpster last October.

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Attorneys representing Leilani have filed a petition to release the Georgia mother from the Chatham County Detention Center on bail.

Leilani was arrested in late November before police revealed Quinton’s remains were found during a search for his body at a nearby landfill.

She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been in jail for 100 days.

Her bail was not set at an initial hearing because the judge present was not a Supreme Court judge, local NBC affiliate WSAV reports.

Under Georgia law, bail must be posted within 90 days of incarceration.

After 90 days, the defense attorney can nudge the court to either hire or release his client.

If Leilani is released, she may be able to meet with her team and view key video evidence that could be used against her as they prepare a case to be used in court, a criminal defense attorney told the local outlet.

It’s still unclear what evidence led to their arrest, but documents say the 22-year-old allegedly hit Quinton “with an object” when he died, according to an indictment seen by the WSAV.

Little Quinton disappeared from his grandmother’s home in Savannah, Georgia on October 5.

Leilani reportedly left her mother’s home on the night of Oct. 4 to meet with her drug dealer and again the next morning to dump Quinton’s body in the dumpster at Azalea Mobile Home Park, court documents claim.

Chatham County Police pronounced the 20-month-old infant dead and revealed the boy’s body was unknowingly disposed of in a landfill.

After a month-long search by Chatham Police, investigators discovered the remains of an infant on November 18, with DNA analysis later confirming the bones found were Quinton’s.

Leilani was immediately arrested and charged with her son’s murder.

Meanwhile, Quinton’s grandmother, Billie Jo Betterton, also known as Billie Jo Howell, was arrested on Monday for contempt of court.

A mug shot of Jo Howell showed her in an orange suicide gown.

Howell had custody of 20-month-old Quinton at the time of his disappearance.

After Leilani’s arrest, Howell broke her silence in an emotional TikTok video.

A TikToker asked Howell, “Why did you host Leilani when she knew she was killing Quinton the whole time?”

She tearfully replied, “Why would you assume I did it? I’ve lost so much, but nobody cares.”

A family friend told WTOC that Leilani checked into a treatment center a few weeks ago and Howell learned she was planning to discharge herself.

The source added that she had to make “one of the hardest decisions of her life” by telling the FBI about Leilani’s plans.

Leilani failed to appear at a court hearing in January where a motion to defer media coverage of the trial was delayed.

Quinton’s remains are still at an FBI crime lab in Virginia.

Leilani is scheduled to appear at an indictment hearing on March 23.