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Indiana Civil Liberties Union files suit in Palmer murder

By Foster Lawrence

Fort Sackville Sentinel staff writer

FORT SACKVILLE, Ind. — The grand jury investigating the unexplained death of Robbie Palmer has been stalled until it determines if it or the county can be sued.

Palmer, 18, died at a party in Fort Sackville the morning of May 3.

The grand jury, after listening to witnesses, went into recess and released the following prepared statement:

“The grand jury is considering action that would bring to light the seriousness of attempts to obstruct their legal purposes. Although the grand jury is now recessed, it will reconvene at a later date to continue its deliberations on the Robbie Palmer case.”

The grand jury issued the statement to prosecutor Dallas Ellerman, who declined to elaborate.

The ICLU is questioning the treatment of gay men appearing before the grand jury.

The ICLU alleges that “rumormongering” has surrounded the probe into the death of Robbie Palmer, who was last seen at a Fort Sackville party attended by several gay men.

Some of the men testifying before the grand jury say they have lost their jobs because of publicity surrounding the grand jury proceedings.

Other witnesses report they had rocks thrown at them outside the Fort Sackville courthouse and that an atmosphere of hysteria has developed, “promoting violence.”

Prosecutor Dallas Ellerman has gone on record saying he was “investigating satanic, ritual homosexual practices particular to Fort Sackville.”

The ICLU charges that the grand jury “witch hunt has tainted gays as murderous deviants, spurred antigay harassment, and damaged the lives of people questioned.”

Robbie Palmer was last seen alive at a party rumored to be “an annual gathering of local homosexual men, at which drugs, alcohol, and sex were freely available.”

One grand jury witness testimony, a detective with the Fort Sackville Police, said, “A young Harrison High School student innocently attended a party and found himself in the company of prominent local men whose homosexuality is not generally known. In order to protect reputations and positions, it was necessary to do away with the young man.”

The ICLU suit charges that the antigay atmosphere in Fort Sackville was abetted by prosecutor Ellerman, who said that people at the party engaged in “deviant sexual conduct” that represented a “potential health threat to our community,” and that “this kind of activity won’t be tolerated in Fort Sackville.”

The ICLU maintains that party attendees were comprised of Fort Sackville Community College theater arts students and their friends.