CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA: On Friday, July 15, authorities announced that a man had been charged with the attempted murder of his sister, who had recently emerged from a two-year coma and named her “mean” brother as the suspected attacker.
Man charged after sister wakes up from coma and identifies him as her attacker
Daniel Palmer III, 55, of Cottageville, West Virginia, was accused of attacking his sister Wanda Palmer in June 2020 and leaving her unconscious for two years. He was charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding. At her Flatwoods Road home on June 10, 2020, neighbours discovered Wanda unconscious with serious head injuries. According to a criminal complaint submitted in Jackson County Magistrate Court, responding officers saw the victim slumped down on the couch and seriously hurt.
“This is about as uncommon as it gets in terms of an investigator’s perspective. It’s a real monument to the victim’s tenacity and fortitude, in my opinion “Fox 11 was informed by Sheriff Ross Mellinger following Palmer’s arrest on Friday, July 15. “She was in such poor condition that morning that I wouldn’t have risked a nickel on her survival. Sincerely, she was swirling the drain while unconscious. Massive, massive amounts of brain injuries, possibly from a machete or hatchet attack, “Added he.
According to the sheriff, the firearm has not yet been located by authorities. According to court documents, the twins had a “violent history,” and Daniel Palmer was named as a suspect at the outset of the investigation. However, until his own sister named him as the alleged offender, there wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges against him.
Daniel reportedly gave a statement to investigators during an interview in which he denied any participation and claimed he hadn’t been to his sister’s house in several days. However, a witness saw him standing at Wanda’s home’s front entryway the night she was abused. “We have searched the entire state in an effort to disprove suspicions, find leads, and carry out search warrants. Although there hasn’t been any significant, reliable information prior to today for two years, the case hasn’t been stale. We had a few potential suspects, but it takes time to weed out the others and focus in, so that’s kind of where we were “Explained Mellinger
On June 27, a deputy finally received a call from Wanda’s adult protective services worker notifying them that she had begun to speak and seemed to answer a question accurately. On July 12, two deputies went to the New Martinsville nursing home. One of the deputies mentioned Wanda’s memories of living in her trailer close to her mother’s house and of getting harmed there.
Before noting how she named her brother Daniel as the one who attacked her, the deputy noted in the criminal complaint that “she made reference of her head.” ” Wanda responded that Daniel “was rude” when asked why he assaulted her “indicated in the complaint. The deputy also observed that Wanda’s responses were “coherent” and “relevant,” and that she appeared “focused” to her circumstances. The paper states that she even “asked for prayer.”
The shocking turn in the case shook friends and well-wishers in the area. “Thank God that she was able to awaken and provide the name. Thank God, that’s all I can say because she deserves justice without a doubt. Definitely, “Myssi Powers, a longtime friend of Daniel and Wanda, told Fox 11 about their relationship. “I can only conclude that he is a bad person. He wasn’t a decent man. I know from hearing other people discuss that he had previously been cruel to Wanda, “Added she.
On Friday morning, Daniel was in jail, but it apparently took hours to get him to comply and appear before a magistrate. Due to the suspect’s aggressive demeanour, the magistrate had to physically make the trip to the sheriff’s office to conduct the arraignment. According to Fox 11, his bail was set at $500K, and he was transferred to the South Central Regional Jail.