Chattanooga Shooting Suspect No Longer Facing Second-Degree Murder Charge

Chattanooga man Joshua Levon Timmons, previously accused of a fatal shooting in 2022, is no longer contending with a second-degree murder charge and has been released from the Hamilton County Jail, according to court records.

Background of the Case

Timmons, 36, was indicted by a grand jury in March 2023 for the death of Michael Palmer. The indictment reveals that, following his arrest, he was held at the Hamilton County Jail on a $200,000 bond for over a year.

On May 24, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to one year in prison. However, he has since been released on time served, as official court documentation indicates.

While Timmons’ judgment does not reveal if his plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors, corresponding identification numbers on both the indictment and the judgment suggest that he may have entered into a plea deal.

Evidence Supporting Self-Defense Claim

Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp shared via email that the specifics of Timmons’ case may have allowed him to assert a self-defense plea. “We believe based on the evidence the jury would have heard, the judge would have instructed the jury on self-defense,” Wamp stated.

Palmer was shot on November 8, 2022, at 819 W. 14th St. Court, according to Chattanooga police. He was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later succumbed to his wounds in the following month. Palmer was 64 at the time of his death.

Witness testimonies would likely have presented Palmer as being in possession of a baseball bat and two knives at the time of the altercation. Wamp suggested that Timmons could have claimed that Palmer threatened and/or attacked him first.

“The investigator who interviewed the defendant also referred to the circumstances as ‘self-defense’ many times in the interview,” added Wamp.

Timmons’ Prior Record

According to the county’s criminal court website, Timmons has faced over 100 charges in Hamilton County in the past. These include robbery, aggravated domestic assault, and criminal trespassing.

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Source: HERE News Network