Alan Jackson, responsible for extreme misconduct in the Michael Goodwin case, has been reassigned out of the high-profile major crimes division. Read the entire story here:
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Audio Message From Michael Goodwin 08-24-2012
Michael talks from prison about the new delays in the filing of his appeal. Please click below to listen to an audio message from Michael Goodwin:
Audio Message From Michael Goodwin 08-24-2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Update from Michael Goodwin - May 27, 2012
MY DEAR “BLOGGER” FRIENDS
All is well here, and I hope it is for you as well. Something occurred today which underscored just how well things are on this strange journey I’m on, provably innocent, yet in prison and unable to yet prove it because of delays in being able to file my appeal.
Last week I composed/typed the following, I AM SO VERY BLESSED (below). However, something told me not to yet mail it out to Ken Nagele to scan in and put on the internet. I felt my hesitation was because I had so much more to say on that subject, about how blessed I am.
For example I will be describing in writing the miracle l describe therein that occurred to me when my dear mother died. But, as it turned out, that desire to write more was not it. I’ll leave it at just one page so as to hopefully encourage more of you to read the following and reflect on it for you.
I feel that the reason for the delay has hit me right between the eyes this morning early when I did my daily BIBLE reading. My reading this morning was 1 Samuel 17, about David and Goliath. What perfect timing! I was tired and a bit overwhelmed by the obvious continuing corruption of the trial Judge, the District Attorney and the Attorney General in my case.
I feel that the reason for the delay has hit me right between the eyes this morning early when I did my daily BIBLE reading. My reading this morning was 1 Samuel 17, about David and Goliath. What perfect timing! I was tired and a bit overwhelmed by the obvious continuing corruption of the trial Judge, the District Attorney and the Attorney General in my case.
Don’t get me wrong. I was not by any stretch discouraged. Your support keeps me focused and strong. I just was flustered at the pile of work caused by the blatant dishonesty by the Judge and others repeatedly flaunting the law.
But the David vs. Goliath analogy was a perfect shot in the arm at a perfect time. We will prevail against the behemoth beast of the corrupt prosecution here. They will eventually collapse just like Goliath did because they underestimated us, just like Goliath did of David. I already have my “smooth stones” of defense ready.
Many of you may doubt my heartfelt claims in the following item on I’M BLESSED. If so please read MATTHEW 9:12-13 & HARK 2:17 -
But the David vs. Goliath analogy was a perfect shot in the arm at a perfect time. We will prevail against the behemoth beast of the corrupt prosecution here. They will eventually collapse just like Goliath did because they underestimated us, just like Goliath did of David. I already have my “smooth stones” of defense ready.
Many of you may doubt my heartfelt claims in the following item on I’M BLESSED. If so please read MATTHEW 9:12-13 & HARK 2:17 -
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners”.
Let’s let it go at this. History is the ultimate Judge. I now feel my purpose ~in life is to expose the amazing corruption and dysfunction in the criminal justice system & to try to improve it.
My mission statement will be “More guilty people in, taking the place of too many innocent people who are now in”. GOD BLESS
Michael Goodwin
_______________________________________________________________
I AM SO VERY BLESSED
I am sitting, pondering my situation & listening to a Christian radio station playing beautiful and uplifting music.
You wonderful folks who have remained friends through this journey which is so trying for you, who have continued to support me, and have kept me in your prayers, keep my spirit so positive and my gratitude so deep. Thank you all so very, very much.
I recognize that most people who knew me “back then” mayor will say to themselves and each other “Goodwin has lost it” or “He is faking it, trying to get sympathy’.’ I am sincerely saddened that I was so wild and insensitive to the feelings and needs of others back then that people would automatically jump to that conclusion.
But, I understand why you would feel that way if you have not met with or spoken to me within the past ten years of this humbling experience. Even some of the people who have stood by me, met with me, and/or corresponded with me may still wonder if my conversion is true.
It’s very true. I had a true miracle occur to me when I was “in”, just after my dear Mother Merna passed on. This was truly a soul shaking miracle which had to be Mom speaking from the next world, which I now know is eternity.
My recognition that this was a calling by Mother to be a better person, to be more understanding and accommodating of others was so immensely powerful that it knocked me to my knees.
My tears poured out as I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My tears were of pure joy as I realized that Jesus Christ had a purpose for my life far greater than that I had pursued on my own.
I immediately became aware that the miserable, humiliating and unfair experiences I was suffering, of false accusations and imprisonment were designed by a divine hand to lead to far greater accomplishments than I had ever hoped for myself or that I was even capable of envisioning.
Having this purpose, A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, like in the wonderful book by Rick Warren, which I’ve read 14 times, is a huge blessing, more than making up for the inconveniences of this journey.
And, without the special blessings of the friendship, support and prayers by you, my attitude for this challenge would not be as SUPER powerful and patient. As to the SUPER, I didn’t say no more enthusiasm!
Michael Goodwin
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
News From Michael Goodwin
April 1, 2012
My Dear Friends,
As you may know, we finally won the Penal Code, Section 1405, to investigate the crime scene's DNA sources. The lead prosecutor, Alan Jackson, has hidden the list of potentially startling, exculpatory evidence for over five years.
Recall that exculpatory evidence is good for me. The DNA is important because it should conclusively prove the race of the killers. I was convicted based exclusively on black killers who allegedly escaped on bicycles.
Yet, not one of the crime scene eye witnesses reported seeing a black or a bike at the crime scene. And, the most reliable witness on the 911 call transcript reported, "I just saw a white shooter kill Trudy". Ballistics test prove that the bullets that killed Trudy came from the same gun that killed Mickey.
Every one of the other four witnesses to the crime reported a white shooter or suspect. But none of this came out in the trial. My trial lawyer really dropped the ball on this, and in many other areas.
DNA could be huge.
In addition, we are waiting on a ruling on a big discovery motion that will force the prosecutor to finally disclose over 250 pieces of exculpatory evidence that they illegally hid for trial. Those will also allow me to prove my innocence, and quite frankly, is much, much bigger than the DNA.
And, just the fact that the prosecution illegally hid this evidence, after it is produced, so that I can prove it exists, would in itself require reversal. But I need the evidence to prove it did exist and that it was important. Those are called BRADY violations. It takes just one to require a reversal. Again, I know it is hard to believe, I can guarantee that we can do over 250 BRADY violations that the prosecutors hid.
Finally, although I have no idea of the quality of the appeal, my appeal will have finally been filed or it will be too late as of May 3rd. We can thank John Bradley for ferreting out that information for us.
Do not dispare about that. Although a good direct appeal should have been done long ago, and done right, we would have won on it, now I can file my Habeas Corpus.
In the Habeas proceeding we get to introduce all of the evidence the prosecution hid from trial and to expose why the prosecutors and their witness told a lie. Generally, those issues are not allowed in the direct appeal because they were not brought up at trial. It is very strange, but that is how it works.
We will prevail. Please be patient. If I can do so in this hell, you can! Thank you for everyone's support. Please keep me in your prayers. And try to get media people interested in the real story.
God Bless,
Michael Goodwin
My Dear Friends,
As you may know, we finally won the Penal Code, Section 1405, to investigate the crime scene's DNA sources. The lead prosecutor, Alan Jackson, has hidden the list of potentially startling, exculpatory evidence for over five years.
Recall that exculpatory evidence is good for me. The DNA is important because it should conclusively prove the race of the killers. I was convicted based exclusively on black killers who allegedly escaped on bicycles.
Yet, not one of the crime scene eye witnesses reported seeing a black or a bike at the crime scene. And, the most reliable witness on the 911 call transcript reported, "I just saw a white shooter kill Trudy". Ballistics test prove that the bullets that killed Trudy came from the same gun that killed Mickey.
Every one of the other four witnesses to the crime reported a white shooter or suspect. But none of this came out in the trial. My trial lawyer really dropped the ball on this, and in many other areas.
DNA could be huge.
In addition, we are waiting on a ruling on a big discovery motion that will force the prosecutor to finally disclose over 250 pieces of exculpatory evidence that they illegally hid for trial. Those will also allow me to prove my innocence, and quite frankly, is much, much bigger than the DNA.
And, just the fact that the prosecution illegally hid this evidence, after it is produced, so that I can prove it exists, would in itself require reversal. But I need the evidence to prove it did exist and that it was important. Those are called BRADY violations. It takes just one to require a reversal. Again, I know it is hard to believe, I can guarantee that we can do over 250 BRADY violations that the prosecutors hid.
Finally, although I have no idea of the quality of the appeal, my appeal will have finally been filed or it will be too late as of May 3rd. We can thank John Bradley for ferreting out that information for us.
Do not dispare about that. Although a good direct appeal should have been done long ago, and done right, we would have won on it, now I can file my Habeas Corpus.
In the Habeas proceeding we get to introduce all of the evidence the prosecution hid from trial and to expose why the prosecutors and their witness told a lie. Generally, those issues are not allowed in the direct appeal because they were not brought up at trial. It is very strange, but that is how it works.
We will prevail. Please be patient. If I can do so in this hell, you can! Thank you for everyone's support. Please keep me in your prayers. And try to get media people interested in the real story.
God Bless,
Michael Goodwin
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Who Killed Racing Legend Mickey Thompson?
The Following New Release Was Written
by John Bradley of Justice On Trial
Michael F. Goodwin, convicted of the 1988 murders of off-road racing legend Mickey Thompson, is asking the question, “Does anyone know, or care, who really killed Mickey Thompson?” Goodwin stated from his cell at Corcoran California State Prison, where he’s serving two life sentences without possibility of parole, “Prosecutors never connected me to the murders because I had nothing to do with them.” Goodwin has always maintained his innocence and his conviction was a surprise to many legal professionals familiar with the case.
Regarding the prosecutors’ assertion of who the shooters were, Goodwin says, “If they caught and questioned the actual shooters, it would be obvious that I was not involved. The D.A. alleged that the shooters were two African Americans and, following my wrongful conviction, they promised to pursue the killers. There’s a major problem with them doing that, though, since they can’t be certain that the shooters were Black. In interviews at the time of the murders, every witness stated that the shooters were White.”
Goodwin, creator of the popular sport of Supercross, motocross racing in NFL stadiums, attempted to merge his highly successful Supercross business with Thompson’s nascent stadium off-road racing business, in 1985, but, after only three months, Thompson bailed out, suing Goodwin and winning a $500,000 judgment. They battled in court for more than three years, culminating with an order for Goodwin to pay Thompson over $700,000, the original judgment plus interest and costs. “I had pledged sufficient funds to settle the judgment early in 1988,” Goodwin claims.
“Mickey’s attorneys were drawing up settlement documents for his signature at the time of the murders,” he says, ”and there’s ample evidence to confirm that.” Goodwin continued, “All Mickey had to do was call the police and report any death threats, but there’s no evidence he ever reported any threats even to the attorneys who were trying to settle a $700,000 judgment with me. Does that make any sense? If he was being threatened, it wasn’t from me.”
Before Thompson could sign the settlement documents, he was brutally murdered by assailants who have never been identified. Goodwin was immediately suspected but after nearly nine months of intense investigation, authorities could develop no evidence tying him to the murders and, despite a conviction, still have not. Detectives did, however, investigate other suspects, one of whom confessed twice, failed a polygraph, and was identified as looking like a white man that was identified as having been near the murder scene on the morning of the murders.
However, 18 years later, at Goodwin’s trial, the judge would not allow Goodwin’s defense to present this evidence, and/or additional suggestions of how the murders occurred, to the jury. Following the trial, the jury foreman, in a declaration, having seen in the media that there was evidence of other suspects, stated that the verdict would have been different had the jury seen this evidence.
Goodwin has been in jail since his arrest in December of 2001 despite having the case dismissed in Orange County in 2004 on a venue issue. The L.A. District Attorney filed charges just hours before Goodwin could be released. He told the court in March of 2007 that he would appeal the conviction and his court appointed attorney, claiming that the case was extraordinarily complex and that the district attorney has not been cooperative in producing records, has until March 19th to file Goodwin’s appeal.
From his cell at Corcoran State Prison, Goodwin detailed his efforts to clear his name. Without assistance of any attorney, he filed a petition to have several DNA samples from the murder scene re-tested in an attempt to determine the race of the men who shot the Thompsons, according to prosecutors, on orders from Goodwin. Goodwin says, “I’ve sifted through more than 40,000 pages and the evidence documents White or Hispanic shooters, not Black. How could I have been convicted of ordering two men to commit these crimes when prosecutors aren’t sure what race they were, where they came from or who they were?”
Initially, the Superior Court judge who presided over the trial, Judge Teri Schwartz, rejected Goodwin’s request for re-testing of the DNA from the crime scene indicating in her denial, “Petitioner Goodwin was not convicted of committing the murders. The identity of the actual killers was not a significant issue in this case.” Goodwin appealed Schwartz’s decision and the California Attorney General agreed with Goodwin that an attempt should be made to identify the shooters and ordered the Superior Court to conduct the re-testing by March 28th.
Goodwin, creator of the popular sport of Supercross, motocross racing in NFL stadiums, attempted to merge his highly successful Supercross business with Thompson’s nascent stadium off-road racing business, in 1985, but, after only three months, Thompson bailed out, suing Goodwin and winning a $500,000 judgment. They battled in court for more than three years, culminating with an order for Goodwin to pay Thompson over $700,000, the original judgment plus interest and costs. “I had pledged sufficient funds to settle the judgment early in 1988,” Goodwin claims.
“Mickey’s attorneys were drawing up settlement documents for his signature at the time of the murders,” he says, ”and there’s ample evidence to confirm that.” Goodwin continued, “All Mickey had to do was call the police and report any death threats, but there’s no evidence he ever reported any threats even to the attorneys who were trying to settle a $700,000 judgment with me. Does that make any sense? If he was being threatened, it wasn’t from me.”
Before Thompson could sign the settlement documents, he was brutally murdered by assailants who have never been identified. Goodwin was immediately suspected but after nearly nine months of intense investigation, authorities could develop no evidence tying him to the murders and, despite a conviction, still have not. Detectives did, however, investigate other suspects, one of whom confessed twice, failed a polygraph, and was identified as looking like a white man that was identified as having been near the murder scene on the morning of the murders.
However, 18 years later, at Goodwin’s trial, the judge would not allow Goodwin’s defense to present this evidence, and/or additional suggestions of how the murders occurred, to the jury. Following the trial, the jury foreman, in a declaration, having seen in the media that there was evidence of other suspects, stated that the verdict would have been different had the jury seen this evidence.
Goodwin has been in jail since his arrest in December of 2001 despite having the case dismissed in Orange County in 2004 on a venue issue. The L.A. District Attorney filed charges just hours before Goodwin could be released. He told the court in March of 2007 that he would appeal the conviction and his court appointed attorney, claiming that the case was extraordinarily complex and that the district attorney has not been cooperative in producing records, has until March 19th to file Goodwin’s appeal.
From his cell at Corcoran State Prison, Goodwin detailed his efforts to clear his name. Without assistance of any attorney, he filed a petition to have several DNA samples from the murder scene re-tested in an attempt to determine the race of the men who shot the Thompsons, according to prosecutors, on orders from Goodwin. Goodwin says, “I’ve sifted through more than 40,000 pages and the evidence documents White or Hispanic shooters, not Black. How could I have been convicted of ordering two men to commit these crimes when prosecutors aren’t sure what race they were, where they came from or who they were?”
Initially, the Superior Court judge who presided over the trial, Judge Teri Schwartz, rejected Goodwin’s request for re-testing of the DNA from the crime scene indicating in her denial, “Petitioner Goodwin was not convicted of committing the murders. The identity of the actual killers was not a significant issue in this case.” Goodwin appealed Schwartz’s decision and the California Attorney General agreed with Goodwin that an attempt should be made to identify the shooters and ordered the Superior Court to conduct the re-testing by March 28th.
Following the trial, Mickey Thompson’s family and the authorities vowed to “continue the search for the Thompson’s killers,” presumably so the $1 million reward that was offered for their arrest and conviction could be paid. With a deep shadow of doubt cast on even what race the actual killers were, Goodwin is hopeful that his case will now be re-examined, “I hope this re-testing of DNA from the crime scene that is likely from the killers, will help determine critical facts about who shot the Thompsons and possibly produce a hit on the national DNA databases, leading to their identification and capture. We need to determine who is really responsible for the killing Mickey and Trudy Thompson and allow there to be a fair trial that would exonerate me.”
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Michael Goodwin News Release - 01/19/2012
Goodwin Trial Judge Rules on “Finding the Real Killers"
A ruling by Teri Schwartz, the trial judge who oversaw the trial of “Supercross” Michael Goodwin in the murders of both Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy, came down on January 4th, 2012. It was in response to Goodwin’s request to have DNA testing done on a hair found on a stun gun and also on Trudy Thompson’s fingernail scrapings from the crime scene on which a DNA profile was found.
This ruling both defies the clear intent of the law, Penal Code §14505, that an attorney must be appointed to investigate - and troublingly mirrors comments by Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson in an August 18, 2006, Associated Press interview with Linda Deutsch.
There, Jackson was quoted as saying, “It’s absurd to think we can take DNA from the crime scene and compare it to a phantom killer”.
However, that is exactly what the National CODIS Data Base was designed for, and is regularly used by law enforcement to find unidentified killers. Many “phantom killers” hits, arrests and convictions have been made using CODIS.
Jackson is running for Los Angeles District Attorney in 2012.
The DNA testing is critical for this reason. At trial, Jackson repeatedly argued that the Thompsons were killed by two never identified black shooters who escaped on bicycles. Yet, not one eyewitness testified to – or reported in an interview – that they saw a black person or a bicycle on the crime scene. And, every one of the five witnesses reported a white shooter or suspect on the scene.
Goodwin was convicted on “black bicycle riders” seen 2½ miles away that morning, because black bicycle riders were also seen in the area of the Thompson’s home.
What did not come out in the trial was that:
a. An official county bike path, frequented by black riders, runs right next to the Thompson murder scene (within feet of it).
b. There is a shortcut for this bike path right through the Thompson property, which saw more than six pairs of black bicyclists on that county bike path the morning of the murders, in the vicinity of the Thompson’s home.
Goodwin says that the law supports that the DNA shows a racial profile different than negro, that is grounds for reversal and for a new trial. Other evidence was not presented at trial.
Initially obfuscated by authorities, is conclusive that the Thompsons were killed by white killers. Without black killers, the state’s case against Goodwin collapses.
Finding the actual killers in a crime as sensationalized as this should be a priority. Thus, it is troublesome that Judge Schwartz ruled:
“Petitioner ‘Goodwin’ was not convicted of committing the murders. The identity of the actual killers was not a significant issue in this case.”
Why would both the State Judge and Prosecutors not want to find the actual killers?
Goodwin has filed a petition for mandate with the higher district court, requesting that they compel trial Judge Schwartz comply with the law and appoint an attorney for DNA investigation in this case.
Michael Goodwin, 01/19/2012
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