Charlotte man gets 30 years prison for almost 100 MPH SC I-77 crash that killed NC boy
A South Carolina judge sentenced a Charlotte man to 30 years in a South Carolina prison Friday after a jury found him guilty in a 2022 Interstate 77 crash that killed a 7-year-old boy.
Jason Connell Palmer, 37, drove a van almost 100 miles per hour before hitting an SUV in Chester County south of Rock Hill on July 10, 2022, prosecutors said.
Max Shanks of Matthews, N.C. died in the crash. Shanks’ father, Corey, suffered brain injuries.
The jury deliberated two hours after five days of testimony before convicting Palmer Friday of reckless homicide and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, prosecutor Candice Lively said. The trial started Monday at the Chester County Courthouse.
South Carolina Judge Brian Gibbons sentenced Palmer to the maximum on both charges. Reckless homicide carries up to 10 years and the assault charge carries 20 years.
Prosecutor: Palmer did not brake at 98 MPH
A S.C. Highway Patrol investigation showed Palmer did not brake before the 98 miles per hour crash on northbound I-77, Lively said. Jurors heard from witnesses who saw Palmer speeding or tried to help after the crash.
Max Shanks died at the scene.
Max’s mother was driving the SUV and his younger brother was also in the vehicle. The family was on their way home to North Carolina from a South Carolina restaurant around 5 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon when the crash happened.
Lively said after the trial Palmer’s reckless and dangerous driving caused the crash that the Shanks family has dealt with for over two years. She praised the family, and law enforcement and first responders in the case.
“It truly took a team effort to bring justice to this family,” Lively said.
Defense: Palmer will appeal
Palmer’s lawyer, Chester County Public Defender William Frick, called the crash a tragedy but argued in the trial the crash was an accident.
“While I am in disappointed in the verdict, I respect the jury’s decision,” Frick said.
Frick said he will file an appeal on Palmer’s behalf.
Palmer had been in jail since he was arrested the day of the crash in 2022. His prison sentence will include credit for that two-plus years already served, lawyers said.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 3:33 PM.
