25 Years is the Sentence for Hannibal Man

(Hannibal, Mo)—10^th Judicial Circuit Judge Rachel Bringer Shepherd hands down a sentence of 25 years in prison to a Hannibal man on Tuesday, after 37 year-old Melvis Palmer pleads guilty to charges of first-degree assault and sexual assault.

Palmer was arrested in September 2011 after a female treated at Hannibal Regional ER told police her injuries resulted from Palmer raping her at knifepoint. Palmer is reported to have a previous sodomy conviction in Pike County.