KNOXVILLE, Tenn — A Knox County Sheriff's Office employee shot and killed his wife in March and then turned the gun on himself in the Powell home they shared, a newly released internal investigation shows.
Sammie Palmer, 73, was found dead beside Cathy M. Palmer, 64, in a bedroom at their home at 8065 Chambord Way the morning of Monday, March 13, records show. She'd been shot twice in the upper chest; he also had a gunshot wound to the chest, records show.
A 9mm pistol also was found in the room.
After the shooting, authorities conducted an investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the deaths. Sammie Palmer shot and killed Cathy Palmer, an employee of the Knox County Property Assessor's Office, the investigation found.
That investigation is now over and the records are now public.
The review showed the couple had quarreled leading up to the shooting, including during a Saturday lunch at Yee-Haw Brewing Co. in North Knoxville. She had complained to friends that she felt he was smothering her, records state.
Their bodies were found the following Monday.