PEACH COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - A Peach County jury has convicted 43-year-old Christopher Scott Palmer on multiple charges, including malice murder, for the beating death of his nine-month-old son, Cody Palmer, in January 2022.
The jury reached its verdict on Tuesday after a six-day trial and 90 minutes of deliberation, according to a news release from the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.
Palmer received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years.
The child died in an RV parked at Buc-ee's in Warner Robins.
"The cause of death was blunt force trauma to Cody's head and neck as a result of a beating by Palmer in an RV located in the Buc-ee's parking lot," the release said.
Prosecutors presented medical evidence revealing a history of abuse, including healing broken ribs, leg fractures and extensive bruising.
"This was one of the most clear cases [of child abuse] I've encountered in my career," testified Dr. Stephen Messner, one of Georgia's five board-certified Child Abuse Pediatrics experts.
Medical experts from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta identified a "bucket handle" fracture in Cody's left leg, which they noted as a classic characteristic of physical abuse. Jurors dismissed Palmer's claim that the injuries were caused by an accidental fall and determined he assaulted the infant for crying.
Witnesses included out-of-state law enforcement officials who detailed Palmer's history of domestic violence, a former Buc-ee's manager who authenticated surveillance footage and an EMS professional who "definitively testified that the CPR he witnessed could not have caused the extensive physical trauma Cody had sustained."
"We have an obligation as a society to protect the precious children in our community," District Attorney Anita Howard said. "We encourage all families to report child abuse and utilize resources at Community Partnership Family Connections."
The District Attorney's Office thanked the Warner Robins Police Department, Crescent House forensic interviewers and medical professionals involved in the case for their efforts.