ABOUT THE MITIGATION EXPERTS

Palmer Investigative Services is a family owned business.  Although based in Arizona since 1980, the firm handles investigations and mitigation (both capital and non-capital cases), all over the United States and Mexico.  The firm is licensed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and is bonded and insured for general liability.  We do background investigations, asset searches, personal injury cases, locating and skip tracing. Our major specialty is criminal defense, and mitigation.  Our clients include private individuals, attorneys, businesses and governmental agencies.

Our investigators have attended a wide range of specialized schools on topics ranging from homicide, sex offenses, mitigation and other criminal topics, to personal injury, accident investigation and other civil topics.  We have staff with graduate degrees in behavioral science and have a special mitigation team to work capital and non-capital mitigation cases all over the United States, with an outstanding success rate.  We handle major criminal cases, multi million dollar personal injury cases, employee theft and sexual harassment matters and we have Spanish speakers that have allowed us to handle matters in Mexico and among Spanish speaking U.S. residents.

Dr. Palmer has testified and offered opinions as a forensic expert over 1300 times in courts as far away as Vicenza, Italy.  Dr. Palmer is an ordained Deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix and feels that defense of the accused is one of his passions.

The firm is a member of the National Legal Aid Defenders Association (NLADA), the National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists (NASAMS), the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFEI), the National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI), and the World Association of Detectives (WAD).

CURRICULUM VITAE

Robert A. Palmer, Ph.D., FACFE, DABLEE
Investigator, Mitigation Specialist, Forensic Expert and Ordained Roman Catholic Deacon
Palmer Investigative Services
P.O. Box 10760
Prescott, Arizona 86304-0760
(928) 778-2951

DEGREES HELD

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Criminal Justice Studies

The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio
Dissertation on Mitigation in Capital Cases

  • Master of Arts, Forensic Psychology

Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona

  • Bachelor of Science, Business Administration

University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona

  • Associate of Arts, Criminal Justice

Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona

 

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES

  • American College of Forensic Examiners

Fellow, American Board of Forensic Examiners
Diplomate, American Board of Law Enforcement Experts
Certified Death Investigator
Listed in the National Registry of Forensic Examiners

  • Arizona Law Enforcement Officer’s Advisory Council (now known as AZPOST)

Arizona Certified Police Officer (1971-1979)
Certified Reserve Officer (1969-1971)

  • Arizona Department of Public Safety

Licensed Private Investigator 1980).  Licensee/CEO of Palmer Investigative Services.

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix

Ordained as a Deacon for the Diocese of Phoenix (2006)
Ordained clergy with 5 years theological training including the morality of death penalty issues.

  • Justice Institute of British Columbia

Certified to Assess Male Sex Offenders for Recidivism Probability using the
Static 99  Instrument recognized in the U.S., U.K. and Canada

 

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

  • June, 1971 – Completed an Arizona Certified Police Academy, graduating first in a class of 38 officers from 6 different police agencies
  • April, 1979 – Completed training in Evidence, Identification and Preservation at Crime Scenes presented by Glendale Community College, held in Phoenix, Arizona.  Guest speaker was John P. “Jigsaw John” St. John, the most senior officer and well known homicide investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department (Hillside Strangler case, Freeway Murders).
  • March, 1992  – Completed training in Current Issues in Forensic Science at Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona.  The seminar specialized in sex crimes, crimes against children and homicide.  Guest speakers included John “Rocky” Hewitt, Assistant Sheriff of Orange County, California, and noted pathologist, Dominick J. DiMaio, M.D., F.C.A.P.
  • Jan., 1993 – Completed a six month study program in neuro-psychological deficits under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Conner.  This included the equivalent of a 700 level course that Dr. Conner teaches at Northern Arizona University in Neuro-Psychology, focusing on neuro-psych assessments. It also included alcohol related brain disorders, and behavior patterns caused by brain function being influenced by alcohol.
  • Feb., 1993 – Completed training in Phoenix, Arizona, on voice dialogue, conducted by Doctors Hal and Sidra Stone, noted psychologists.  Voice dialogue can be used in psychotherapy, but also has investigative applications, in developing interviewing and interrogation techniques.
  • Feb., 1993 – Completed training in Practical Homicide Investigation held at Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona.  Guest speaker was the noted homicide authority and author, Vernon J. Geberth, retired Lt. Commander with the New York City Police Department, Bronx Homicide Task Force.  Topics included an intensive in-depth examination of homicide and death scene investigations, including suicide, autoerotic and accidental deaths that may appear to be homicides.  Also covered were serial murders, criminal personality profiling and the use of psychological autopsies, and DNA genetic fingerprinting.
  • June, 1993 – Completed training in Mitigation & Capital Cases sponsored by the Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender, Phoenix, Arizona.  Featured speakers included noted psychiatrist, George W. Woods, Jr., M.D., Scharlette Holdman, Ph.D., mitigation specialist with the California Appellate Project, and Hal Sheets, an attorney with The Arizona Capital Representation Project.  Topics included psychiatry and mitigation, the use of neuro-psychologists, obtaining the defendant’s personal history, and investigating to look for mitigating factors.
  • Dec., 1996 – Completed the Fourth Annual National Academy of Forensic Examiners, presented by the American College of Forensic Examiners, held in San Diego, California.  Topics included death investigation, profiling serial and violent offenders, autoerotic asphyxia and mysterious undiagnosed deaths.  Guest speakers included Dr. John Douglas, former head of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, and author of the Crime Classification Manual, and the number one best seller, “Mindhunter”.
  • Mar, 1998 – Completed training on mitigation in capital cases entitled “Making the Case for Life”, presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, held in Scottsdale, Arizona.  This seminar covered mitigation representation and investigation techniques.
  • Nov., 2006 – Completed a five year study program for ordination to the Diaconate.  Included Theological Studies at the Kino Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.  This program included Biblical studies, Old and New Testament, Christology, ministry, theological reflection, social justice and other courses relative to pending ordination to the diaconate of the Diocese of Phoenix.  Also completed two years of hospital and jail chaplain internship, as well as assisting and conducting services including funerals, graveside and vigil services and masses, etc.  I have received a number of training programs on the sanctity of life from natural conception to natural death that bear on my mitigation work.
  • May, 2007 – Completed training held collectively by the Office of the Maricopa County Public Defender, the Office of the Maricopa County Legal Defender and the Arizona Capital Representation Project entitled “Mitigation Investigation, Integration and Presentation”, held at the Board of Supervisors Auditorium, in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • March, 2009 – Completed an extensive training program presented by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists held in New Orleans, LA, entitled “2009 Life in the Balance, Defending Death Penalty Cases”.  Coursework included the role of the mitigation specialist and proposed standards in Atkins assessments, Neuropsychology assessment and brain impairment, capital defense, using mitigation documentaries to promote compassion, interviewing and history taking, dysfunctional families, illustrating developmental adversity using GIS techniques, advanced interviewing skills for mitigation specialists, the client’s family for a resource, interviewing child witnesses, presenting Skipper evidence, analyzing life history records, using technology to get your point across to juries, mitigation, remorse and redemption, developing and presenting poverty as mitigation, capital law for mitigators, interviewing witnesses with mental health issues, interviewing prison and jail witnesses, and many other topics.

EXPERIENCE

  • Sept., 1969 – Dec., 1979 -  Worked as a Deputy Sheriff for Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona.  Handled all sorts of investigations including over 200 death investigations that included natural deaths, accidental deaths, suicides and homicides.
  • April, 1980 – Present, have worked as a Private Investigator, licensed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, employed by Palmer Investigative Services, Prescott, Arizona. The company handles investigations in major civil and criminal cases.  Since 1981 we have specialized in the aggressive defense of major criminal cases, particularly capital homicide cases.  We provide mitigation services in capital and major felony cases, working as a team under my direct supervision.  Both my masters and doctorate degrees involved coursework in brain function, neurology, influence of brain altering chemicals, deviant behavior, criminal profiling, psycho-sexual behavior, motivating and mitigating factors for homicide offenders.  My doctoral dissertation was on motivating and mitigating factors in homicide.
  • Sept. 2001 – Present, have worked in various ministries including assisting at Catholic Mass, counseling, hospital chaplain and prison ministry, among others, for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

MY 40+ YEARS OF PERSONAL EXPERTISE INCLUDES

  • Hundreds of death investigations.
  • Providing testimony in over 2000 court appearances, with over 1200 as a qualified expert witness.
  • Opinions rendered on cases as far away as Vicenza, Italy.
  • Handling mitigation investigations from Alaska to Sinaloa, Mexico and all over the United States.
  • Gang experience working with street gangs, Mexican Mafia, biker gangs and prison gangs.
  • Locating long lost court records, medical records, mental health records, school records, counseling records and other mitigation important information.
  • Assisting with trial preparation.
  • Coaxing witnesses to provide statements, including video interviews.
  • Developing training programs that are nationally recognized.
  • Developing proprietary mitigation methods that are paradigms in the mitigation profession.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners International (ACFEI)
  • Diplomate, American Board of Law Enforcement Experts (ABLEE)
  • National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA)
  • National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists (NASAMS)
  • National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI)
  • World Association of Detectives (WAD)