Father convicted of murder in Peach County after son was fatally beaten in parking lot
A jury has convicted a father of beating his baby son to death in a travel center parking lot in Peach County, the local district attorney announced Tuesday.
Christopher Scott Palmer, 43, was found guilty of killing 9-month-old Cody Palmer, who died in January 2022. Christopher Palmer was found guilty after a six-day trial and an hour and a half of jury deliberations, the District Attorney’s office said. Cody Palmer suffered blunt force trauma after his father beat him severely in an RV that was parked in a Buc-ee’s parking lot, the District Attorney’s office said.
Christopher Palmer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years, the District Attorney’s office said.
“We have an obligation as a society to protect the precious children in our community,” District Attorney Anita Howard said in a statement. “We encourage all families to report child abuse and utilize resources at Community Partnership Family Connections.”
Christopher Palmer, his child and the child’s mother lived a “nomadic lifestyle,” prosecutors said. They traversed the country in their RV. During the trial, several out-of-state witnesses testified to the harm caused by Christopher Palmer and his history of domestic violence.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Neil A. Halvorson presented the case for the state, assisted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michele Harris and Assistant District Attorney Taylor Wilson. The prosecutors used medical evidence to reveal “a devastating pattern of abuse,” prosecutors said.