Donald L. Palmer was born on February 11, 1965. He grew up in the United States. Not much is publicly known about Donald Palmer’s early life, aside from the fact that he struggled with alcohol and drug use. On May 8, 1989, his life changed forever when he and his friend Edward Hill drove from Columbus, Ohio to Belmont County to stalk the home of a man who had once dated Palmer’s ex-wife (and who was also Hill’s sister’s ex-boyfriend).

Palmer had been drinking and using drugs throughout the trip. According to his own account, he had been firing a gun out the car window before the murders. His state of mind was erratic, violent, and paranoid — and what followed was described by Palmer himself as a "postal moment."

While staking out the house, Palmer and Hill drove back and forth in front of the property. Charles Sponhaltz, 43, who lived nearby and was monitoring the situation, lightly struck their vehicle with his pickup truck. He shouted, “What in the hell are you trying to prove?”

Without hesitation or provocation, Palmer stepped out and shot Sponhaltz twice in the head. He and Hill dumped the body in a nearby field.

Just moments later, Steven Vargo, 41, drove by, saw the commotion, and stopped to ask, “What the hell did you guys do?” Palmer responded by shooting Vargo twice in the head as well. Unlike Sponhaltz, Vargo’s body was left on the road.

Palmer later admitted, “I didn’t kill him because I thought he was a witness. I killed him because he was there.” He stated that he did not know either man, and that he was not in his right mind that night. Both victims were married fathers, killed without warning or reason.

Upon arrest, Palmer quickly confessed, and his accomplice Edward Hill was later convicted as well. Hill received a sentence of 35 years to life, despite Palmer stating multiple times — including in a sworn declaration — that Hill did not know he would kill anyone, was in shock after the first shooting, and was not even present during the second. Palmer said:

“There is nothing I can do or say to undo the pain I have caused. Nothing. I know that my life should be forfeited.”

Palmer waived his clemency process, saying he deserved to die. On September 20, 2012, he was executed by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. His final words, delivered to six grieving women — widows, daughters, and relatives of the victims — were:

“I want you to know I’ve carried you in my heart for years... I hope your pain and hurt die with me today.”

Palmer’s final meal was a chipped ham and Velveeta cheese sandwich, Ranch Doritos, peanut M&Ms, hazelnut ice cream, cheesecake, and soda. He was pronounced dead at 10:35 a.m.