NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A 19-year-old man accused of shooting five women, three fatally, in the Young Terrace neighborhood in November has been found competent to stand trial.
Eric Korslund, the new attorney for 19-year-old Ziontay Palmer, said Thursday that a competency evaluation has deemed his client to be competent to stand trial.
On Nov. 10, a judge ordered Palmer to undergo the evaluation. Palmer’s public defender at the time filed a motion requesting it because he had concerns Palmer might not fully understand the charges against him, and may not be able to assist in his own defense.
The evaluation results filed in courts were sealed, but Korslund confirmed the results with 10 On Your Side.
Palmer’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11.
According to police, a domestic-related situation between Palmer and a 19-year-old girl resulted in her being shot and injured outside in the 800 block of Whitaker Lane on Nov. 3. Four women came to her aid. Three of those four women were fatally shot, including the 19-year-old woman’s mother, mother’s friend and a next-door neighbor.
Those killed in the shooting were identified as 42-year-old Detra “Dee” Brown, of Suffolk, 45-year-old Nicole Lovewine, of Norfolk, and 44-year-old Sarah E. Costine, of Lithonia, Georgia.
The 19-year-old and another woman survived the shooting, police said.
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