An appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of a woman who stuffed her boyfriend’s body in a freezer.

In August 2022, a jury in Lamar County, Miss., found Samantha Simmons guilty of murdering 54-year-old Thomas Burns, according to records from the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

She was sentenced to life in prison for murder, plus 20 years for receiving stolen property.

Burns’ body was found by his brother and neighbors inside a freezer in Burns’ home in Purvis, Miss., in May 2018 after he had not been seen for weeks. The body was found with zip ties around his neck, wrists and ankles, with a belt around his legs and a trash bag over his head.

An autopsy concluded that Burns had died either from strangulation due to the zip tie around his neck or from asphyxia from being put in freezer with a plastic bag over his head.

Simmons and Burns had been dating and she had been living with him in the home, according to court records. Investigators found a key to the freezer’s padlock on Simmons’ key chain and the Mississippi Crime Lab found Simmons’ DNA on the zip ties.

Additionally, witnesses testified Simmons had contacted them about purchasing some of Burns’ possessions, including his Dodge Challenger. Other witnesses testified they had attempted to contact Burns, but each time were turned away by Simmons, who would say Burns was out of town.

In one instance, a witness said Simmons had said Burns was “in school” in Texas, which the witness said was unlikely, given Burns could neither read nor write.

In Simmons’ appeal, her lawyers argued the evidence was largely circumstantial and did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt Simmons had killed Burns, saying it only proved she attempted to “take advantage” of Burns’ death.

The 10-member appeals court, while agreeing on the circumstantial nature of the evidence, ruled the amount of evidence was sufficient to prove Simmons guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Based on our review of the record, Simmons’ challenges to her receiving stolen property and first-degree murder convictions are unpersuasive,” wrote Judge Latrice Westbrooks, writing for the 10-member appeals court. “The evidence the State presented was sufficient to prove both counts. Also, the overwhelming weight of the evidence was not contrary to the jury’s verdicts.”