Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Second-Degree Murder for Killing Innocent Bystander

WASHINGTON - Kylee Palmer, 25, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed and related charges stemming from a day-time shooting on February 12, 2020, in Southeast, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Palmer was found guilty by a jury on September 11, 2024, following a two-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, felony destruction of property, and tampering with evidence. The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for December 12, 2024.

According to the government's evidence, on February 11, 2020, Palmer got into an argument with an ex-girlfriend and stole her cell phone. After exchanging calls with the ex-girlfriend's brother in the early hours of February 12, 2020, at approximately 11:01 a.m., Palmer drove a stolen black Nissan Altima, with another individual inside, past 843 51st Street Southeast, where they fired six bullets into the ex-girlfriend's family home. One of those shots broke through a living room window and struck Barron Goodwin, a 60-year-old innocent bystander, in the head as he slept on a couch in the living room. About an hour later, after Palmer fled the scene, he burned the vehicle used in the shooting in an alley near the 800 block of Chesapeake Street Southeast.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI CAST team. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sellinger, Christopher Carson, Lisa Lindhorst, and Julia Cosans, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.