A young man who got caught up in a 2017 murder in Augusta was sentenced Monday, Sept. 19, to a long probation period for making false statements and hindering the apprehension of the killer.
Kendall N. Palmer, 26, pleaded guilty last month in Richmond County Superior Court. Judge John Flythe withheld sentencing until after the trial of Antonio Collier, 37, who was convicted of murder in the death of 35-year-old Sean Middlebrooks.
Middlebrooks, a father of four, was fatally shot in the kitchen of his Rosier Road home on July 11, 2017. Both Collier and Palmer were initially charged with murder in Middlebrooks’ slaying.
Assistant District Attorney Ryne Cox said Monday that he was standing mute on any recommendation for a sentence for Palmer. But, he said, Palmer did fulfill his part of the agreement.
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While Palmer wasn’t a part of Collier’s crime, he did lie to Richmond County Sheriff investigators, which made solving Middlebrooks’ murder more difficult, Cox said during a hearing in August.
Defense attorney Keith Johnson said Palmer did testify truthfully at Collier’s trial. He spent more than two years in jail before he was granted bond. Since his release, he has followed every rule and condition of bond, which was verified by electronic monitoring and oversight by a probation officer. Johnson said Palmer, a high school graduate, has been steadily employed. Palmer has no prior convictions.
Flythe sentenced Palmer to 15 years on probation under the First Offender Act.
A Richmond County Superior Court jury convicted Collier of murder. Flythe sentenced Collier to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
