A homicide defendant’s ex-girlfriend, who is also his child’s mother, testified regarding their relationship and his alleged confession before a jury in DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt’s courtroom on Aug. 28.
Ky’lee Palmer, 25, and Aaron Adgerson, 21, are charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition, Palmer is charged with destruction of property worth $1,000 or more and tampering with physical evidence.
All the offenses were allegedly committed during release. The charges stem from Palmer and Adgerson’s alleged involvement in a drive-by shooting that led to the death of 60-year-old Barron Goodwin on Feb. 12, 2020, inside a residence on the 800 block of 51st Street, SE.
According to the prosecution, Palmer is also responsible for torching the suspected vehicle following the murder.
It’s not clear if Goodwin was the primary target or in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Prior to the ex-girlfriend’s testimony, prosecutors read a stipulation alerting the jury that, had the witness been questioned about prior domestic violence by Palmer, she would have said he assaulted her on April 21, 2022, and would state she ended the relationship due to the assault.
Prosecutors then called on the ex-girlfriend, whose testimony was “impeached” or discredited multiple times following her responding “I don’t know,” or “I don’t remember,” to each question.
To demonstrate the impeachment disclaimer, the prosecution used transcripts from her grand Jury testimony, which occurred on June 29, 2022, and transcripts from an interview with law enforcement that occurred on May 14, 2022.
The witness, who was able to provide an in-court identification of Palmer, claimed during the hearing that she was not aware of his dating other women during their relationship. However, during her Grand Jury testimony, she stated she found out Palmer was dating Goodwin’s niece, who testified on Aug. 27.
According to the prosecution, the witness met with a detective in May of 2020, who had reached out to her mother about setting up a meeting. Palmer allegedly drove the witness to the meeting, which occurred at a high school in southeast DC. The witness previously testified, detectives questioned her knowledge about the burning vehicle, which was located blocks away from her residence.
However, the witness told detectives she was unaware of the incident in question. Following the meeting, the witness previously testified, she returned to her vehicle, and Palmer was there allegedly waiting for her.
According to the witness’ previous testimony, she confronted Palmer about the burning of the vehicle and other incidents, when he confessed to having “shot an old man.”
Two years later, the prosecution stated, she alerted detectives during a meeting about his apparent confession. In an audio interview presented to the jury, the witness could be heard telling the detective, “he [Palmer] had told me that he had shot somebody… an old guy in a drive-by.”
In that same interview, the witness was heard telling detectives that the victim was “the uncle of the girl he was dealing with before he got with me,” arguing Palmer said it had been a shootout.
According to the witness’ prior statements, when she confronted Palmer in 2020 about his involvement, “He was crying because I told him I’d leave him if he didn’t tell me the truth.” However, she added he didn’t have a reaction regarding the fatal shooting.
The witness previously testified that Palmer told her when the shooting occurred she was not with him but another person. She added that Palmer specifically stated he was the shooter, and the other individual had been driving the vehicle, adding, “He was beefing with the ex’s brother.”
According to the witness, Palmer also confessed to burning the car following the shooting.
When asked why she didn’t alert the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) about Palmer’s confession until two years later, she stated because, “That’s my son’s father.”
Prosecutors also called on the officer first to arrive at the scene. He testified that he located the victim inside of the residence lying in a pool of blood. “He was semi-conscious and breathing,” the officer told the jury, however, Goodwin did not respond when the officer attempted to speak with him.
The officer deemed the scene “chaotic,” stating that Goodwin’s family members were struggling with the shooting’s aftermath. He asked one of them to talk to him, while the officer attempted to ensure the block was roped off and a perimeter was established at the scene.
According to the officer, when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) arrived, they carried Goodwin out before getting a stretcher because, “They knew he was in bad shape.”
The prosecution asked which side of the vehicle would be closest to the residence if a car was going down the one-way street. According to the detective, the passenger side of the vehicle would be closest to where Goodwin was located at the time of his murder.
During cross examination by Michael Madden, Adgerson’s attorney, the officer testified his main priority was ensuring the victim’s wellbeing and the safety at the scene.
He also told David Akulian, Palmer’s defense attorney, he was not actively searching for suspects there.
Prosecutors displayed footage from a surveillance camera located at the house across the street from Goodwin’s residence, which depicted a black vehicle driving by the scene and firing what appear to be multiple shots.
Parties are slated to reconvene Aug. 29.
