Egg Harbor City Man Sentenced For Killing Mother and Child

An Egg Harbor City man was sentenced Friday in the killing of a woman he lived with, and her 7-year-old son.

According to Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain, Joseph F. Palmer 3rd was sentenced for the November 2014 deaths of Michelle (Heist) Pabst, 38, and her son Gavin Pabst, 7, both of whom lived with Palmer.

Palmer was sentenced to 30 years in prison, "without parole for the murder of Gavin Pabst, and a term of 25 years in prison — must serve 85%of the sentence per the No Early Release Act (NERA) — for the killing of Michelle (Heist) Pabst.Judge DeLury ordered that the terms be served consecutively, making Palmer in eligible to apply for parole until he has served 51¼ years in prison."

An autopsy performed on November 13, 2014 by Dr. Ian Hood of the New Jersey State Medical Examiner’s Office determined both deaths to be homicides, the cause of the mother’s death multiple sharp and blunt force injuries, and the cause of the child’s death multiple stab wounds.

On12:30 p.m., on November 14, 2014, Detectives of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit arrested Palmer as he was being discharged from the hospital.Palmer was charged at the time with the two murders and aggravated arson, for setting fire to the residence in which lay the bodies of Michelle (Heist) Pabst and Gavin Pabst, with the purpose to destroy the residence.

On January 27th of this year, Palmer pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter, for the killing of Michelle (Heist) Pabst, and to murder, for the death of Gavin Pabst.

SOURCE: Atlantic County Prosecutor News Release