Attorney: Man Who Stuffed Dead Co-Worker into Suitcase Was Sexually Humiliated

Seeing a woman he desired have sex with another man pushed a San Diego man to beat, rape, sodomize and strangle the woman to death, prosecutors told jurors Monday.Joshua Palmer is on trial for first-degree murder in the killing and rape of his co-worker, Shauna Haynes.  Ex-Carlsbad Police Officer Arrested for Alleged Burglary, Stalking Haynes, 21, was found dead on April 6, 2016, inside a suitcase left near trash bins outside The Chadwick, an apartment building at A Street and 7th Avenue in downtown San Diego.Two days later, Palmer was arrested in connection with Haynes’ killing. Police Search for Suspect in ‘Brutal’ Stabbing in Hillcrest As his trial began Monday, prosecutors described the victim as a platonic friend of the defendant.  The two worked together at the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant.However, the defense attorney told jurors that Palmer was in love with Haynes and that the victim had planned to move in with Palmer.  Plane Crashes Enroute to San Diego “This is not a case where you will have to decide who caused the death of Shauna Haynes. The issues in this case are the circumstances surrounding her death and when and how the sex happened,” said Palmer’s attorney Katie Belisle. Haynes was killed after an incident on the night of April 4, 2016 when she, Palmer and two other people were in the apartment.Palmer was unable to sexually satisfy a woman he had brought home. The woman left Palmer and joined into a threesome with Haynes and a man she had brought home, attorneys said. Belisle told jurors her client was humiliated. “He was heartbroken,” Belisle said. “All he could do was stand there and watch.” Jurors were warned they would be shown a video with evidence of necrophilia as part of the case.”After she was dead, [Palmer] videotaped himself playing with [Haynes] in unimaginable ways on his cell phone,” the prosecutor said in his opening statement.The defense agreed the video would be difficult to watch for the jurors but said there will be evidence presented that suggests there was no rape but rather, consensual sex.She said forensic investigators found other DNA on Haynes’ body not belonging to the individuals in the room on the night in question. The next morning, Palmer called 911 to file a false missing person report for Haynes – whom he referred to as his girlfriend. Palmer sent text messages from the victim’s cellphone to family members to make it appear as if Haynes was still alive.The San Diego County District Attorney’s office has charged Palmer with murder and special circumstance allegations of murder during a rape. He’s also charged with murder during sodomy and murder during a rape by an instrument.Photo Credit: NBC 7
Source: NBC San Diego