In the days leading up to his death, 7-year-old Roderick “RJ” Arrington was subjected to escalating abuse at the hands of his mother, Dina Palmer, and his stepfather, Markiece Palmer. The situation came to a tragic head in their Las Vegas apartment in November 2012. The series of beatings that would ultimately claim RJ's life reportedly began over his failure to read the Bible and do his homework. School officials had already suspected abuse when RJ had difficulty sitting and mentioned being spanked. A neighbor who drove him to school noticed he had trouble walking and sitting and reported her concerns to Clark County Child Protective Services after hearing yelling from the apartment the night before. A school counselor also contacted a child welfare hotline with suspicions of abuse at the boy's home.
The final, fatal assault occurred when Markiece Palmer allegedly beat the young boy until he fell to the floor. When RJ rose with his fists clenched, his stepfather grabbed him and shook him violently. Dina Palmer later testified that Markiece had picked her son up and shaken him, causing his head to snap back and strike a wall. Prosecutors believe this blow to the head was the cause of RJ's death. After the assault, Markiece Palmer told Arrington to take a bath and then applied cocoa butter to the open wounds on the boy's buttocks.
Roderick Arrington was transported to University Medical Center after being found unresponsive. He was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit in critical condition, suffering from strokes and fixed pupils. Doctors noted numerous bruises all over his body, including his arms, abdomen, back, legs, and thighs. He had fresh open wounds on his buttocks that appeared to have been caused by whipping. Despite undergoing surgery, RJ died from his injuries. An autopsy revealed 53 wounds and marks on his body, including welts that matched the shape of a belt buckle. His brain was swollen from the impact of his head against the bedroom wall.
Following their son's death, Markiece Palmer and Dina Palmer were arrested and charged with murder, child abuse, and neglect. Initially, Dina Palmer told police that RJ had hit his head while running away from her husband. However, she later changed her story, implicating her husband in the fatal shaking. Markiece Palmer was found guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse. Dina Palmer pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment with substantial bodily harm and was sentenced to 16 to 40 years in prison.
