Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a Mansfield man accused of shooting a motel desk clerk multiple times during an armed robbery.
Terry Dewayne Powell, 20, is charged with second-degree murder in the April 12 shooting death of Lynda Palmer, 75, as she worked the front desk of Best Western Plus DeSoto Inn & Suites in Mansfield. He’s also accused of shooting a motel patron, Matthew Yeager, of Texas.
If convicted, Powell faces a sentence of life in prison.
Palmer was well-known throughout the community as a caring person who never met a stranger. Most of her work life was spent in the retail business, particularly in jewelry sales in Shreveport and Mansfield. Her late husband, Joe Palmer, was a longtime respected educator.
Powell was arrested hours after the shooting as he hid in an abandoned apartment. Video surveillance cameras inside and outside the motel aided Mansfield police and DeSoto Parish sheriff’s investigators in identifying Powell and putting together a timeline of the crime.
Investigators said Powell entered the motel and robbed Palmer of an undisclosed amount of cash before shooting her. She died at the scene.
Powell left the motel, but returned, where he encountered Yeager outside. Both went inside, where Powell attempted to rob Yeager before shooting him, investigators said.
Yeager was among a group of Halliburton employees who were staying at the motel while working in the area. His injuries required multiple surgeries, but he recovered.
