NORFOLK, Va. — A jury found 21-year-old Ziontay Palmer guilty on all 10 charges in the shooting of five women in Norfolk’s Young Terrace neighborhood in 2021, leaving three dead.
The verdict comes after attorneys wrapped up closing arguments late Friday morning, which was followed by the jury's deliberation. Palmer was convicted of three counts of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated wounding, one count of malicious wounding, and five counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of the felony.
During the trial, prosecutors pushed forward multiple pieces of physical evidence, linking Palmer to a phone, a sweatshirt and the gun found on the scene of the 2021 shooting.
The two survivors of the shooting, including Palmer's girlfriend at the time, both pointed him out in court to identify him as the shooter.
However, Palmer's attorney maintained that no scientific evidence links Palmer to the crimes, because detectives never submitted the evidence for DNA analysis.
Palmer's mother also testified in court, telling the jury how she brought him to the police station the night of the shooting to "clear his name."
The shooting happened on the evening of November 3, 2021. Prosecutors said Palmer shot his then-pregnant girlfriend Angel LeGrande and LeGrande's mother, Nicole Lovewine, outside near the intersection of Nicholson Street and Whitaker Lane.
Lovewine's partner, Detra Brown, along with neighbor Sara Elizabeth Costine, ran from their apartments to help the two women. Palmer then ran up and shot Brown and Costine as well. Prosecutors said Brown was shot six times.
Another neighbor, Shazelle Dixon, ran out of her apartment to check on her children after hearing the gunshots and was also shot multiple times by Palmer, in the jaw, the arm and the back.
Lovewine, Brown and Costine all died at the scene. LeGrande and Dixon both survived. Dixon, however, needed multiple surgeries including jaw reconstruction, and she continues to experience nerve damage from a bullet lodged in her spine. LeGrande's unborn child also survived.
LeGrande broke down in tears with her family when she heard the verdict. She is currently raising her and Palmer's daughter two years after the shooting. LeGrande did not speak with us after the verdict.
"Happy to say justice is served," Nicole Lovewine's niece said as she walked out of court. "This is what we were waiting on for the past two years. We finally got what we deserved. We can't even ask for nothing better than what it was."
Sara Costine's son, Malachi, testified during the trial. He detailed how he hid behind a tree when he saw Palmer shoot his mother, killing her. He was 13 years old when it happened.
Now 15 years old, Malachi said, "We got justice for my mother... I want her to know that I love her and that I will keep pursuing my dreams as a football player."
Costine's daughter, Siera Elerson, also spoke after a traumatic trial. She watched prosecutors show graphic photos of her mother at the scene of the shooting and said, "We feel like we can breathe. It just feels like something was lifted. We waited a long time for this."
Palmer's family members were in attendance throughout the trial, including his mother and stepfather. None of the family members spoke with us; they were dealing with the emotional experience.
However, Palmer's attorney, Eric Korslund said he believed Palmer had a case from the beginning to argue in court.
"Obviously, a very tough time for his mom and his stepfather. He had a tremendous show of support throughout the entire trial. Very graceful through these difficult times. It was just a lot of evidence we're trying to take it all in," Korslund said, recalling the amount of evidence reviewed throughout the trial following the verdict.
Palmer will be sentenced on Feb. 2, 2024.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi told 13News Now that he faces up to three life sentences in prison on these charges in addition to more years on the other charges. However, Fatehi said the judge could suspend a certain number of years from those life sentences at the next hearing.