The West Virginia man who was identified by his sister as having savagely beaten her into a two-year coma has died in custody, officials said.
Daniel Palmer III was pronounced dead Thursday at a Charleston hospital, a day after he was taken there for a medical evaluation, the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Division of Corrections, said in a statement of press
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Palmer, 55, was arrested on July 15 on charges of attempted murder and malicious wounding after his sister, Wanda Palmer, identified him as her assailant after he suddenly woke up after spending more than two years in coma
He was uncooperative while in custody at the South Central Regional Jail, the release said.
Wanda Palmer was hit in the head with a machete or ax at her Cottageville home in June 2020, and her brother, who had a violent past with his brother, had been considered the prime suspect by law enforcement. order
“Due to a previous violent history between Wanda Palmer and her brother Daniel Palmer, investigators initially considered Daniel a suspect in the assault,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Jackson County Magistrate Court.
The 55-year-old man was identified as his sister’s attacker after she woke up from a two-year coma. Facebook / Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, WV
Daniel Palmer denied involvement in the attack, telling police he hadn’t been to his sister’s house in days. A witness later told investigators he saw Daniel at the front door of Wanda Palmer’s trailer the night she was attacked.
Law enforcement was notified that Wanda Palmer had regained consciousness and appeared to be responding to questions on June 27. Despite suffering severe brain damage, she was able to communicate with detectives one word at a time and told them her brother was the man who hit her. in a coma
On July 12, the deputies “went into Wanda’s room alone and began talking to her,” the complaint said. The deputy “asked Wanda open-ended questions. Wanda indicated (that) she remembered living in her trailer near her mother’s place. She indicated she remembered being injured there. She mentioned her boss.”
He said his brother was the one who hurt him. When deputies asked why Daniel Palmer hit her, she said “it was mean,” according to the complaint.
Wanda Palmer “appeared oriented to her situation. His answers to the questions were consistent and relevant. She asked for prayer.”
Daniel Palmer was being held on $500,000 bond. WCHS-TV reported that after he was arrested, it took hours to get him to cooperate with authorities on a complaint, which required a magistrate to leave a courtroom and come to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
With post cables