Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Woman found dead in home was owner of bar in Pompano
Sherry Palmer, the popular owner of Chit Chat’s bar in Pompano Beach, was the woman whose decomposed body was found Tuesday by deputies searching her home, authorities said.
Also in the house: Patrick Palmer, 51, her husband and bar chef who was found unconscious on the bloody floor.
Sherry Palmer, 63, was a hugger who mentored others in the restaurant business. She was also an animal lover, supporter of local musicians and, to people who were between paychecks or coping with illness, an angel.
“She’d get wind of someone struggling
and would organize a fundraiser with a band,” said Cindy Kosor, a friend of about seven years who considered Sherry more of a sister. ”She’d decorate the bar, her husband would cook the food, they’d raffle off a flat-screen TV and collect cash from the bar crowd for the person in need.”
Kosor called her friend “the kindest person I’ve ever known,” and said she has been getting about 100 messages each day on Facebook since news about the homicide case broke Wednesday.
“It’s devastating to me that something like this could happen,” Kosor said.
Dental records confirmed Sherry Palmer’s identity, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday. Information about how she died was withheld by authorities.
Chit Chat’s bar, 651 N. Federal Highway, is a halfmile south of the couple’s home in the 900 block of Northeast 24th Avenue. Friends estimated Sherry and Patrick had been together 20 years.
Deputies were doing a welfare check on Patrick Palmer on Tuesday night after he had not been seen for several days at the bar, Broward Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gina Carter said.
Patrick Palmer was found with injuries to his arms that were not further described by Carter. Sherry Palmer’s body was found after deputies searched the home.
Patrick Palmer has been hospitalized since Tuesday. Wednesday, as the case progressed from a death investigation to a homicide, detectives called Patrick Palmer a person of interest. He was not in custody, had not been arrested and charges had not been filed against him. Friday afternoon, his status remained the same, Carter said.
Friends say Patrick served in the U.S. Marine Corps and had a career as a glazier, creating windows for retailers in New York and Miami.
Two couples — neighbors of 20 years to the Palmers — watched detectives going in and out of the Palmers’ home Wednesday afternoon.
Stephen and Kathy Yarley and Scott and Mimi Sherman called the Palmers dream neighbors who would help with home repairs, pet sitting and watching their homes while they traveled.
“They are the nicest people,” said Stephen Yarley, who with his wife was caring for the Palmers’ pit bull, Remy, and Rottweiler, Marley.
Mimi Sherman said she last saw Sherry Palmer on April 11. They were planning a Memorial Day weekend party to celebrate the launch of her son Jordan Sherman’s new album. “I’m stunned,” Mimi Sherman said.
Chit Chat’s welcomes smokers and is a place where bikers feel at home.
It features live rock bands and has sponsored charitable events for animals, soldiers on active duty and breast cancer awareness. It also offered a free buffet.
Before Sherry Palmer had been identified as a homicide victim, regulars gathered at the bar Wednesday to share their worries about the couple. Chit Chat’s bartender Sandra Holmes looked around, noted every stool was occupied and said she usually never has a full bar on a weekday afternoon.
On Friday, the bar phone went unanswered.
The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information about the case to call Detective James Hayes at 954-321-4231, Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or go online to browardcrimestoppers.org. The organization accepts anonymous tips and pays up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Neighbors said the Palmers would help with home repairs, pet sitting and watching their homes while they traveled.