When families are facing the unthinkable, Mercer University alumna Christy Palmer is there to support them and provide the resources they need. Her work as a victim advocate with the homicide and gang unit in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office isn’t easy, but she’s proud of each case she takes on and grateful to the families who put their trust in her.
Palmer, of Hampton, is a Double Bear who earned a Bachelor of Science in human services with a minor in education in 2008 and a Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling in 2012 from the College of Professional Advancement. Through hands-on and cultural experiences at Mercer, she learned how to serve families and children facing difficult times, get to know the community, and find necessary resources.
Counseling is a broad field with many opportunities for graduates to work in the community, besides just offering counseling sessions, Palmer said. Much of her work has focused on providing a voice to those who often go unheard, as well as awareness and education to the community.
While working with sexual assault victims during an internship in Jonesboro for her master’s degree, she was shocked to see the lack of progress in their cases.
“People didn’t believe in sexual assault. They didn’t believe that children were getting abused,” she said. “People weren’t speaking up and saying something. There wasn’t enough education about it.”
Following her internship, Palmer became a board member at Prevent Child Abuse of Henry County. In 2017, she joined the Henry County District Attorney’s Office, first serving in magistrate court and then juvenile court. She transferred in 2022 to the crimes against women and children prosecution unit, which she had previously helped to establish with District Attorney Darius Pattillo.
In 2023, she moved to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office to work with families of homicide and gang victims. Palmer is involved in 130-150 court cases each year and provided 2,000 services last year.
As a victim advocate, she makes sure families know their rights, provides them with resources, keeps them updated on proceedings in their loved one’s case, sits with them during trial, and answers any questions they may have.
“It can be very traumatizing for them, so we help them through that,” she said. “I like to be the change. I don’t like to just sit here and talk about what people need to do. I want to put faith into the criminal justice system. So many families come in, and they’re already broken. I want them to be able to trust us and know they can rely on us.”
Palmer was involved in a 25-year-old cold case that was solved earlier this year. In 1999, the remains of a 6-year-old boy were found in a wooded area near a church cemetery in DeKalb County. Years later, a tip led the boy to be identified as William DaShawn Hamilton, and his mother, Teresa Black, was convicted of concealing his death in January.
Palmer, who grew up hearing about the case, provided support to Hamilton’s family and friends throughout these new developments and Black’s trial, including securing funding to help with funeral and burial expenses.
“I was in shock because I can remember as a kid, I always heard about little William, but we didn’t know then who he was. To finally give him a voice was inspirational. He didn’t have a voice for 25-plus years,” she said.
In June, the case was featured in an episode of A&E’s “Killer Cases.”
“All of my cases I’m proud of. They don’t make the news like this one, but I’m still proud. In the end, I know I did everything I could for my families. I still talk to my families. It’s just amazing,” she said.
“They made a positive impression on me. They trusted me. They didn’t have to, but they trusted me.”
