A Madisonville man accused in the death of a teenager in 2017 has entered a guilty plea for an amended charge.
Caldwell County Circuit Court Clerk Danny Hooks says that 22-year-old DeShaun L. Palmer, who was initially charged with murder in connection to the shooting death of 15-year-old De’Aryn Hamilton in February 2017, returned two guilty pleas to amended charges at a pre-trial conference on February 15th.
Hooks adds that Palmer entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of reckless homicide with a suggested sentence of five years. Palmer also entered a guilty plea to a charge of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, which also has a suggested sentence of five years. Sentences will run consecutively for a total of ten years.
On the night of February 13th, 2017 Princeton Police were dispatched to the 300 block of North Seminary Street at around 8:11 and found Hamilton in the street with a gunshot wound. Hamilton was taken to Caldwell Medical Center ER where he was pronounced deceased. The investigation lead to the arrest of Palmer in Madisonville on February 26th, 2017.
According to police records, the incident began when Hamilton and another teen, Cameron D. Malone, allegedly robbed Palmer. Police stated that Malone produced a handgun and he and Hamilton then stole a large amount of marijuana from Palmer. As Malone and Hamilton fled, Palmer allegedly pulled a handgun and fired several rounds, one of which struck Hamilton.
Palmer’s trial was set to begin on Monday but was canceled due to the guilty plea. Sentencing will be held on April 2nd at 1 PM in Caldwell County.
(Story By Audrey Lamb/WPKY)
