Jury to rule in jail hanging
By Elizabeth Billips

Next Friday, a jury will determine whether inmate Ezumer "Shorty" Palmer committed suicide in the Burke County Jail.

Burke County Coroner Betty White will hold an inquest at the courthouse to examine evidence and question witnesses about Palmer's death.

She says her reasons for holding the inquest are two-fold: first, because state law requires one when someone dies while in the penal system, and second, because Palmer's family suspects foul play.

In February, Palmer was found hanging from a bed sheet in his jail cell. Three days earlier he'd been arrested on trafficking charges after officers seized two kilos of powder cocaine, two loaded guns and $54,000 cash from his Keysville home.

Palmer had been in trouble for drugs before and served time in the late '90s on federal charges. Another conviction would have meant a long sentence for Palmer, and possibly in the same prison that houses some of the offenders he testified against before his release.

Palmer's family members told White that he was scheduled to appear for a bond hearing on the day his body was found. They maintain that he wouldn't have killed himself knowing he had a chance of going home.

"They don't believe he hanged himself," she said.

White says that while she found no evidence to support their claims, the inquest will give the family an opportunity ask questions and air their concerns.

"Hopefully in the end, everyone will be satisfied with our answers," she said.

Sheriff Greg Coursey agrees. Although the GBI has already ruled Palmer's death a suicide, he hopes the inquest will lay the issue to rest. "If the inquest will bring some closure to the family, then I have no problem with it," he said.

In addition to two family members, 23 witnesses are subpoenaed for the inquest, including jailers, GBI investigators and a medical examiner. White will preside over the inquest, and District Attorney Danny Craig will assist with the questioning.

Unlike a criminal or civil trial, the six jurors will also have an opportunity to question the witnesses.

An inquest hasn't been held in Burke County since the early '80s, and next Friday's will be the first for nearly everyone involved, including the DA.

"An inquest is a good example of our democracy," he said. "Rather than having an elected official decide a matter of great public importance, we deliver the evidence to the people's representative jury … and their verdict speaks for all the people of the community."