The 18-year-old student who beat up a store manager while being recorded by his brother could be spared jail time following the distressing unprovoked attack.
Damire Palmer, 18, has pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm, a felony, after beating up a Macy’s manager in an unprovoked attack in Michigan.
Since the teen has made a plea deal, which has been agreed upon by the victim, however, he could be released on probation. Once the probation would be over, Palmer’s felony charge would be replaced with a misdemeanor charge on his record.
According to the reports, Prosecutor David Leyton confirmed that the 18-year-old could be sentenced to anywhere from 10 years in prison to just probation following his plea deal.
The final decision is up to a circuit court judge, whereas Palmer will be arraigned on September 1.
“Nobody’s looking to hang felonies on young men. I never have and I never will. This was a bad crime though, and he has to face the consequences,” Leyton said.
During the Wednesday court hearing, Palmer claimed that he had attacked the store manager after his brother, Damarquay Palmer, falsely accused the man of calling them the N-word.
“The statement that [my brother] made was untrue and I swung on him for no reason,” the teen admitted.
When asked about the reason why his brother would lie to him about being called the N-word, Palmer replied: “I wouldn’t know. I honestly wouldn’t.”
During the hearing, the assistant prosecutor, Patrick McCombs, also confirmed that the victim of the brutal attack requested for the offender to be sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Training Act, meaning that Palmer will be shown more leniency and could walk away on probation.
As Judge Jennifer J. Manley explained to the offender, the victim has shown remarkable compassion towards the victim considering the events that took place.
However, the judge insisted that “programming” and “strict guidelines” have to be set in place before Palmer is released.
“If he did not approve of this, you would not be getting this possibility. You understand what kind of break that man gave you? This is a big deal for your life. I really want you to understand that,” Manley told the 18-year-old.
Replaced!