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
