Earlier this week, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Christopher Palmiter, the stepfather of missing Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari, who was last seen getting off her school bus in November 2022 at age 11.
In 2024, a Mecklenburg County jury found Palmiter guilty of failure to report the disappearance of a child.
Madelina’s mother, Diana Cojocari, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was arrested in late 2022. She was released in May of 2024.
[ READ MORE: Madalina Cojocari’s mom leaves jail after failing to report daughter missing ]
Palmiter appealed his conviction, relying on four separate arguments, none of which the court of appeals agreed with.
In his appeal, he claimed the state law compels self-incrimination and is unconstitutionally vague.
He also challenged the court’s refusal to admit a text message from Diana Cojocari that indicated Madalina was with her during the time in question.
During his trial, Palmiter testified he hadn’t seen Madalina in weeks following a trip he took to Michigan, but had no reason to believe she was missing because Diana Cojocari told him she was at home.
Palmiter was given a suspended sentence of six to 17 months in jail as required by law, instead of receiving 30 months of supervised probation.