Beloved high school teacher in Ohio killed by boyfriend, police say
Jason Palmer, 37, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of 46-year-old Rachel Prince, who was found dead at their home in Columbus on July 13, CBS affiliate WBNS reported. Officials reportedly said Palmer was Prince's boyfriend.
WBNS reported that police were called to the home on Cobblestone Drive in northwest Columbus around 1:20 p.m. on July 13 after a complaint.
At the home, officers found Prince unresponsive, and she was later pronounced dead. The Franklin County Coroner's Office said the woman's cause of death was strangulation with blunt force trauma to the head and arms, the TV station reported.
WBNS reported, citing court records, that Palmer was seen on top of Prince, who was lying on the walkway outside their home, on July 12 around 10:30 p.m. Shortly after, he reportedly picked up Prince and carried her inside the home.
In a letter to Marion-Franklin High School families, principal Tanita Fleming said Prince was in her second year as an art teacher.
"Ms. Prince devoted her life to uplifting young people, always leading with compassion," Fleming said in a letter posted to the school's Facebook page.
Prince's presence "brought hope and guidance to countless lives," the letter added before saying her "kind spirit made her a favorite amongst the students."
The district said resources are available to students in need.
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Judith Hannah Weiss freelanced for 25 years, writing print and broadcast promotion for New York, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue and other major media. In 2006, she was hit by a drunk driver, which put things on a long pause. Her post-accident work has appeared on NBC News and in The Washington Post, The Oldster, Iowa Review, The Rumpus, Dorothy Parker's Ashes, Memoir Monday and The Pulse. You can find her on Substack at and at This article originally appeared on HuffPost in April 2024. Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful:
