After Georgia trial, Mass. trucker gets life sentence in slaying of Worcester woman

A jury in Georgia has convicted a Massachusetts trucker of killing his former girlfiend, Jessica Goodrich of Worcester.

Jason Palmer, who lived in Littleton, was sentenced to life in prison, according to Camden County (Georgia) court records.

The body of Goodrich, 45, was discovered Oct. 8, 2022 , in a wooded area near Roadie's Chevron Truck Stop in a Woodbine, Georgia, which is near the Florida border in the southeast corner of the state. She had traveled to Georgia in a tractor-trailer driven by Palmer.

Three weeks after the body was found, investigators tracked Palmer to a truck stop in Indiana.

On Thursday, after listening to testimony that began Monday, a jury in Camden County Superior Court found Palmer guilty of murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, and malice murder, according to Camden County court records.

Judge Stephen Kelley sentenced Palmer to life in prison on the malice murder charge. He is not eligible for parole. On the charge of concealing, Palmer received a 10-year sentence, records show. The other two charges were merged with the malice murder charge, according to court records.

Goodrich is survived by three sons, according to her obituary .

According to the office of District Attorney Keith Higgins, of the Brunswick (Georgia) Judicial Court, the fatal stabbing occurred after Palmer invited Goodrich to accompany him on a monthlong trucking assignment that began in Worcester. The two were once engaged to be married, according to the DA.

According to Higgins' office: Palmer had a history of abusing Goodrich. At one point during the trip, she communicated to her son that she had been beaten by Palmer. She told her son that she was going to find another way home, stating she didn't want to "end up dead" in the truck. Three days after last communicating with anyone, Goodrich's body was found by a dog-walker at a truck stop off Interstate 95.

Palmer had "concealed her body in the wood line next to the truck stop, and stripped her of any items that would reveal her identity," according to the district attorney's office.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: After Georgia trial, Mass. trucker gets life sentence in slaying of Worcester woman