CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Billy Pace Sr. gained his composure as he read a letter about how his son was betrayed and murdered by the woman he loved.
Jessica Lynn Summer Simo, 36, was charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 16, 2016, shooting death of her boyfriend, 23-year-old Billy “BJ” Pace Jr.
On Monday, Simo pleaded guilty to facilitation of second-degree murder and agreed to a 10-year prison sentence.
“BJ loved Jessica,” Pace Sr. said as he read a letter from the stand in in Judge Jill Ayer’s court. “He believed she was dying from cancer because he believed what she told him. They were moving to Virginia because he wanted to give her a (good end of life). … Jessica’s way of showing love was allowing someone to shoot him twice in the back of his head, killing him.”
Simo conspired with Kristopher Michael Martin to murder Pace. Martin was 17-years-old when arrested and was the boyfriend of Simo’s daughter. Martin was charged as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder following a jury trial. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Simo will serve 30 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for parole. With 1,270 days of jail credit, she’s already served 3.5 years of her sentence.
Pace Sr. said he and his wife would attend every hearing to make sure she serves as much of her 10-year sentence as possible.
Simo and Pace had been dating for about seven months at the time of his murder, Pace Sr. said.
Motive remains unknown
BJ Pace’s body was found in a wooded area on Ross Lane on Dec. 21, 2016. His father, Billy Pace Sr., reported him missing on Dec. 18 after not being able to get in contact with his son for three days.
Pace had two gunshots to his head and was covered with leaves and branches.
Art Bieber, assistant district attorney, said the bullets that killed Pace came from Simo’s Colt 1911 gun. Testimony at trial would prove Simo carried the gun wherever she went and kept it in her purse.
Simo gave the gun to Martin in what Bieber calls a “motive-less” murder case.
At his trial, Martin said Simo pulled the trigger; Simo said it was Martin.
Pace Sr. described having to explain to BJ Pace’s 4- and 6-year-old children that their father was dead.
“His daughter Izzie went to the funeral and went to the casket,” Pace Sr. said. “She said, ‘That’s my daddy sleeping.’ … His children will never have another memory of him.”
Pace spoke about the void in their lives.
“As grieving parents, the past four years have been a nightmare for us,” he said.
While he said they knew about the plea agreement and were thankful to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and specific investigators and prosecutors, for providing their family with some form of justice, Simo’s sentence did not match the severity of the crime.
“How is 10 years a fair trade for taking my son’s life?”
