Deborah Ann Hales:1977, Willow Park, Pennsylvania

   Deborah Ann Hales was born July 12th, 1957 to Mary and Edward Hales in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was their second child. Deborah had an older brother and later a younger brother and sister. 

 Deborah was a graduate of Upper Dublin High School. She was working at FMC corporation and living in an apartment. 

 

  On Monday January 3rd, 1977, Deborah had borrowed her mother’s red Ford Pinto. She called her mother to let her know she was working overtime. She started off for home sometime after 11 p.m. that evening.

 

  Early the next morning on January 4th, the red Pinto was found blocking the driveway of a local deli. The keys were in the vehicle. Why did Deborah park this car in such an odd place and seemingly vanish? It was in perfect working order. There was plenty of gasoline. There were no footprints suggesting that she had walked away. Did she get into another car? 

  On January 4th, 1977, Deborah was discovered deceased in a the bushes behind a church parking lot. A man who was trying to figure out where his dog had run off to saw Deborah and called the police. Deborah had been beaten and shot once in the back of the head. Police officers responded and began the investigation of her murder. 

  Upon turning her over to lift her body onto a gurney they saw something unusual. An object was laying on the cold snowy ground under her body. It was a police badge. It was facedown and covered in blood. The badge had the name “PALMER” on it. Officers looked around and saw that one of them was standing a bit away and was missing his police badge. 

   Maybe Deborah grabbed the badge and ran thinking that she could then prove that this cop had kidnapped her and threatened her.  Maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing and she was not thinking at all. Maybe she was just reacting. He obviously did not notice that it had been taken. But, that one moment of grabbing the badge and running; Deborah was able to bring down a very crooked cop. 

  John Joseph Palmer was a police officer in Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania.  He was described as a class clown in high school. Acquaintances were rather surprised when he became a “hard nosed cop”. 

  The investigation would find that Officer Palmer also had blood on his uniform. 

 

   John Joseph Palmer was arrested and charged with the kidnapping, beating and murder of Deborah Ann Hales. She had been shot with a .357 magnum. 

 

   Had he done this before? Had he pulled over a young woman and taken her to another location? Was he forcing these young women to have sex with him under the threat of arrest and prosecution? Was this the first time he had done this or just the first time this had gone so badly wrong? 

  In May 1977, at trial, a jury found him guilty of first degree murder. They acquitted him of the kidnapping charge. Palmer was sentenced the following year to life in prison. 

  His wife and family were upset that he had been found guilty. They had hoped he would be freed. His lawyers had argued that he was attempting to arrest this unruly young woman and she had fought and run. They argued that he was just doing normal police work. The jury did not buy that.

  

 He and his lawyers had tried to convince the jury that he had been suffering from a mental illness. Psychiatric examinations did not support that claim. 

  Under Pennsylvania law, Palmer would have been eligible for parole after 14 years. What do you think? Did he straighten up, behave himself and get out after 14 years?

  No.  John Joseph Palmer is still incarcerated in Pennsylvania today in 2026. 

  Deborah Ann Hales’ parents said in 1977 that she was the type of girl who liked a quiet life. She enjoyed spending time with her family. Since she had moved out she had always come over for Sunday Dinner. She still had two younger siblings at home. She was only 19 and was just beginning her life. Who knows what she might have done. 

  Deborah Ann Hales is buried at Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.