LEONARDTOWN, MD – A jury in St. Mary’s County has rendered a guilty verdict against Michelina Desiree Goodwin, 46, of Great Mills, for the 2022 murder and dismemberment of a 50-year-old man, marking the conclusion of a harrowing case that has deeply affected the local community. Goodwin faces up to 61 years in prison for second-degree murder, the use of a firearm in a felony, and unauthorized body disposal.
The investigation into this chilling crime began on December 21, 2022, after the victim’s family reported him missing. They had not been in contact with him since December 7, 2022. What started as a missing person case swiftly escalated into a homicide investigation, with Goodwin emerging as the primary suspect.
During the interrogation on January 18, 2023, Goodwin confessed to a fatal altercation at her residence, wherein she claimed to have accidentally discharged a firearm, resulting in the victim’s death. The victim, who shared the residence with Goodwin, was then gruesomely dismembered by her in an attempt to conceal the crime. Goodwin later directed law enforcement to the locations where she had disposed of the victim’s remains across St. Mary’s and Charles Counties, exposing the horrific extent of her actions.
State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling expressed the community’s shock and the victim’s family’s profound grief over the gruesome nature of the crime. “This horrifying crime shocked the community and caused unimaginable pain to the victim’s family,” Sterling stated, emphasizing the brutal details of the case that the jury and the victim’s family were subjected to during the eight-day trial.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Donna C. Pettersen and Jeffrey R. Maylor led the prosecution, representing the citizens of St. Mary’s County in a relentless pursuit of justice for the victim. The case’s investigation was spearheaded by Sergeant Roger Schwarb of the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and Trooper First Class Evan Ruggles of the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, whose efforts were instrumental in unraveling the details of the crime.
The trial was presided over by The Honorable Terrence J. McGann, who will determine Goodwin’s final sentence. Currently, Goodwin is held without bond, awaiting sentencing, a period fraught with anticipation for both the victim’s family and the broader community, seeking closure in the aftermath of a crime characterized by its particularly brutal and personal nature.
This case not only highlights the tragic loss of life and the consequent legal repercussions but also underscores the impact of such crimes on the fabric of small communities, where the ripple effects of violence and betrayal are felt most acutely. The community of St. Mary’s County now awaits the sentencing phase, hoping for a resolution that brings some measure of peace to the victim’s family and a sense of justice to the disturbed community.
