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Jason Palmer Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Columbus Art Teacher Rachel Prince
Read the full articleA Franklin County jury convicted Palmer of murder following the July 2025 strangulation of Marion-Franklin High School educator Rachel Prince.
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Man convicted in death of Columbus mother and art teacher is sentenced
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Jason Palmer, 38, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, after a Franklin County jury convicted him on two counts of murder in the July 2025 death of his girlfriend, Columbus City Schools art teacher Rachel Prince, according to local court reporting.
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A man facing murder charges in connection to the death of his girlfriend, a Columbus City Schools art teacher, was sentenced Tuesday after a jury found him guilty. Jason Palmer, 38, of Columbus, was convicted of two counts of murder
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The sentence concludes criminal proceedings after police found the 46-year-old educator unresponsive at her apartment in the 5000 block of Cobblestone Drive, investigators reported.
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Jason Palmer, 37, is accused of killing 46-year-old Rachel Prince in the 5000 block of Cobblestone Drive. She was an art teacher and a mother of two children.
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The Franklin County Coroner’s Office determined that Prince died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head and arms, according to charging documents.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
In November 2023, Columbus police arrested Palmer after he threatened to kill everyone in the residence, leaving Prince and her children huddled behind a bed with visible red marks around her neck, according to police records.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
Court filings show Palmer accumulated eight probation violations, primarily for failing to maintain contact with his supervising officer, according to the Columbus City Attorney's Office.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
In September 2024, Palmer was charged with felony strangulation and domestic violence after Prince was hospitalized with injuries including attempted suffocation and blows to the head, court documents state.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
Sentenced to 180 days, Palmer was released for time served due to 194 days in accrued jail credit, according to prosecution records.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
Prince’s sister-in-law Jennifer Belemu and Lisa DeGeeter of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network emphasized that repeat violations signal acute lethal risk, arguing that earlier detention and stronger consequences were needed to protect victims, according to courtroom coverage.
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The Franklin County Coroner's Office determined that Prince's cause of death was strangulation, with blunt force trauma to the head and arms.
Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Columbus art teacher
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Palmer was sentenced to life following the jury's verdict.
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Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Columbus art teacher Jason Palmer was found guilty of murder in the death of Rachel Prince, an art teacher at Marion-Franklin High School.
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Prince taught art at Marion-Franklin High School in Columbus, where colleagues and students remembered her as an uplifting and compassionate mentor, school tributes documented.
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Ms. Prince devoted her life to uplifting young people, always leading with compassion. Her presence brought hope and guidance to countless lives, and her loss is deeply felt throughout the Marion-Franklin community and beyond.
Her ex-husband, Robert Prince, described her as an artistic dreamer who inspired their two young children, Anna and Isaac, through creative projects, family accounts noted.
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Ms. Prince devoted her life to uplifting young people, always leading with compassion. Her presence brought hope and guidance to countless lives, and her loss is deeply felt throughout the Marion-Franklin community and beyond.
The conviction follows repeated domestic violence cases and court encounters that Prince’s family and victim advocates had previously highlighted, court records and relatives showed.
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Ms. Prince devoted her life to uplifting young people, always leading with compassion. Her presence brought hope and guidance to countless lives, and her loss is deeply felt throughout the Marion-Franklin community and beyond.