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Written by: A. Smith
Published July 7, 2025 @ 7:35 AM ET
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. – A Cherokee County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the death of a 1-year-old boy he was entrusted to care for, prosecutors said.
Gregory Farrell Davis Jr., 27, of Waleska, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 60 additional years, the maximum sentence allowed under Georgia law, according to the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
On May 1, Davis was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, four counts of first-degree cruelty to children, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer in connection with the 2021 death of James “Jamie” Marco Palacio.
Deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call on April 28, 2021, about an unresponsive infant at a home in Waleska. Davis was the only adult present at the time, prosecutors said, and had been caring for the child while the boy’s mother was at work.
Jamie was taken to a hospital by Cherokee Fire & Emergency Services, where he was declared brain dead two days later.
According to prosecutors, the child had suffered “acute injuries to his brain and neck consistent with abusive head trauma, commonly referred to as shaken baby syndrome.” Additional medical findings revealed Jamie had previously sustained a skull fracture while in Davis’s care, as well as “healing vertebrae fractures and a healing rib fracture.”
The DA’s office said those injuries “demonstrated a pattern of chronic and systematic abuse.”
An autopsy determined Jamie died from “acute and healing traumatic injuries to the head, neck, and torso,” and the death was ruled a homicide.
“The chronic and unrelenting abuse inflicted on this innocent, defenseless baby shocks the conscience and warrants the harshest penalty Georgia law allows,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper said in a statement. “Jamie experienced unimaginable suffering in his short life. He was robbed of the opportunity to grow, learn, and lead a full and happy life because of the evil actions of the defendant. Those actions come with consequences.”
Gropper asked the court to impose the maximum sentence, calling it “both appropriate and necessary.”
A relative of Jamie’s gave a victim impact statement during the hearing, describing the toddler as “joyful, playful, and loved.”
“Jamie deserved to be loved. He deserved to be taken care of. He deserved to be in the care of someone who could do these things for him,” the family member said, according to prosecutors. “Gregory Davis was entrusted to take care of Jamie and, instead, killed him. My family and I have no sympathy for this man and neither should the court.”
Before delivering the sentence, Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. told Davis, “You do not deserve to breathe free air,” the DA’s office said.
“This verdict and sentence demonstrate the commitment of our community to combat child abuse and recognize the value of Jamie’s life,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a statement.
Jamie’s mother, Amber Lynn Ellis, 27, of Canton, was also charged in the case. She pleaded guilty on May 5 to two counts of second-degree cruelty to children. Cannon sentenced her to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.