Shelly Rooks Case: Charges, Competency Ruling, and Abuse Claims

The Shelly Rooks case refers to the prosecution of a Georgia mother, Shelly Deanna Rooks, who was charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children after her nine-month-old son, Cody Palmer, died following an incident inside an RV parked at a Buc-ee’s convenience store in Warner Robins in January 2022. Rooks was later declared incompetent to stand trial, and prosecutors have indicated she will likely never be prosecuted on those charges.¹ The child’s father, Christopher Scott Palmer, was convicted of malice murder in November 2024.

What Happened at the Warner Robins Buc-ee’s

On the evening of January 30, 2022, Warner Robins police were dispatched to the Buc-ee’s at 7001 Russell Parkway after a nine-month-old was found not breathing inside an RV where the family had been staying.² Rooks and Palmer told first responders the baby had been accidentally dropped while being bathed.³ Cody died at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on February 4, 2022. Hospital staff reported injuries in “various stages of healing” that were “indicative of protracted physical abuse,” contradicting the accidental-drop account.⁴

Warner Robins Police Chief John Wagner described the family as “nomadic,” saying the couple had been traveling through Middle Georgia with their children with no fixed destination.⁵

The Charges Against Rooks

Rooks, then 26 and from Waynesville, Georgia, was arrested and booked into the Peach County Detention Center on charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to children.⁶ Palmer faced heavier counts, including felony murder, aggravated battery, and cruelty to children.²

Declared Incompetent to Stand Trial

By July 2022, Rooks was declared incompetent to stand trial because of a low IQ and disabilities.⁷ Prosecutors have said she will likely never be tried on the charges.¹

Rooks’s Account of Domestic Abuse

Evidence at Palmer’s trial described Rooks as a victim of severe domestic violence. She testified that Palmer had duct-taped her mouth and the boys’ mouths, poured bleach on her, and tied her to the RV with a dog leash. The Peach County Sheriff testified that the three boys had been “enduring torture” until first responders removed them from the RV the night of the incident.¹

What Happened to Christopher Palmer

Palmer stood trial in Peach County in November 2024. Prosecutors established that the infant died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck caused by a beating, and medical experts identified extensive evidence of chronic abuse, including healing rib and leg fractures and bruising across the child’s body.⁸ After roughly 90 minutes of deliberation on November 26, 2024, the jury found Palmer guilty of malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children, aggravated assault, and other charges.⁹ He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years.

The Surviving Children

Cody’s two older brothers, ages five and ten at the time of the incident, were taken into custody by the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services and are living in foster care.¹⁰

1
Syracuse.com. Former Syracuse Sex Offender Sentenced to Life in Prison for Beating His Baby to Death in Georgia
2
41NBC. Parents Arrested for Child Cruelty and Charged With Murder After 9-Month-Old Dies After Incident in RV at Buc-ee’s Parking Lot
3
WRBL. Parents Arrested in Nine-Month-Old Baby’s Death in Warner Robins
4
Law&Crime. Nomadic Parents Beat Baby to Death in RV Parked Outside Georgia Convenience Store
5
The Macon Telegraph. Baby Dies After Incident at Buc-ee’s in Warner Robins
6
Houston Home Journal. Parents Charged With Homicide of Infant Son
7
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Father Guilty of Murder in Infant Son’s Motor Home Death in Middle Georgia
8
41NBC. Man Sentenced Life Without Parole Beating Death Nine-Month-Old Baby
9
WGXA. Peach County Jury Finds Father Guilty of Murdering Nine-Month-Old Son
10
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Death of 9-Month-Old Found at Buc-ee’s Led to Brothers’ Rescue From Torture