DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A woman testified one of two defendants accused of murdering an Army Reservist came to her home with blood on his hands days after the murder. The testimony came during the trial for 15 year-old Zion Wainwright and 22 year-old Qutravius Palmer. Prosecutors say they attempted to rob Xavier Arnold, his girlfriend and another friend as they walked along a bike trail in Kirkwood in December 2013.
The witness who testified is still so afraid she asked us to conceal her identity. "I started getting scared because he's in my kitchen," she said from the witness stand. "That's all that I was thinking about is why is this happening like why is he here. Like why would he come to my house."
She says Palmer came to her apartment days after Arnold's murder. She noticed Palmer was injured when he showed up at her door. "He was bleeding and he asked to use my phone." She says Palmer told her he cut his hands on a fence running from police. After using the phone, she says he asked for something else. "He asked to look up a news article and it was about this case," she said.
The article said one suspect was in custody and one was on the loose. Later, the witness put two and two together and became frightened. "He could have held me hostage. He could have come into my house and done anything," she said.
She also says Palmer mentioned that he and his cousin were involved in the shooting. She was used to seeing Palmer around the complex and said he was usually quiet and calm. The witness says not during this encounter. "He just seemed really frantic and nervous and just pacing," she said.
Palmer has said he did not participate in the shooting and is not guilty.
Witness testifies in Army Reservist murder trial
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