State v. Palmer

Petitioners Julia Gorman and Robert Palmer were tried jointly for the death of Gorman’s seventeen month-old grandson (victim). Palmer and Gorman, who lived together but were not married, were each convicted of homicide by child abuse (homicide), aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse (aiding and abetting), and unlawful conduct towards a child (unlawful conduct). On direct appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed both Palmer’s and Gorman’s aiding and abetting convictions, and a majority affirmed both petitioners’ homicide and unlawful conduct convictions. State v. Palmer, 408 S.C. 218, 758…