Her teen son was murdered. Now, SC mom walks in his place at graduation

Jamonte “Monte” Markal Simmons would have graduated from Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School on Friday night, but he was shot and killed in November 2015.

Now his mother, Angel Simmons, will walk in her son’s honor and don the cap and gown meant for him.

“It was just something I thought of just to keep my son’s memory alive,” Simmons told WJCL. “That’s all I really want to do. Don’t forget him. He didn’t get to go to senior prom, didn’t get to do anything.”

Simmons died five days after his 18th birthday after a fight over a four-wheeler in a wooded area next to his family’s Ridgeland home, The Island Packet reported at the time.

Kelly Meyerhofer: 843-706-8136, @KellyMeyerhofer

This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Her teen son was murdered. Now, SC mom walks in his place at graduation."