Or So It Seems
05-11-2002, 10:23 PM
Credit UM with another high profile success (they were crucial in breaking the Martha Moxley case open too).
Although it wasn't updated on the most recent airing of the segment on Lifetime there has been an arrest in the Mickey Thompson murders, originally profiled in 1989. Here's the article (dated 4/20/02) with UM reference:
"HEADLINE: Former business partner ordered to trial in slaying of racer Mickey Thompson
DATELINE: SANTA ANA, Calif.
BODY:
Enough evidence exists to try a former business partner of Mickey Thompson for the 1988 killings of the racing legend and his wife, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
Michael Goodwin, 57, was ordered to stand trial on two counts of murder and three special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and multiple murders. He could face in life in prison without parole if convicted. Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno, who ordered Goodwin to trial, also denied a request by defense attorneys to have him released on bail.
Goodwin, a longtime suspect in the case, has pleaded innocent.
He and Thompson were once partners in promoting off-road racing. Goodwin was dubbed the "father of Supercross" after moving the competitions into stadiums and arenas in the 1970s.
Prosecutors claim he arranged the murders after a falling-out over business matters. Their disputes resulted in a series of lawsuits and a $514,000 judgment that forced Goodwin into bankruptcy.
Thompson, 59, and his wife, Trudy, 41, were shot to death outside their house in the gated community of Bradbury, 15 miles east of Los Angeles. Witnesses said the couple were killed by a pair of gunmen who fled on bicycles. The gunmen have never been caught.
Goodwin was arrested in December after two witnesses came forward. Prosecutors chose to try the case in Orange County because that's where they say Goodwin allegedly masterminded the killings.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Mark Lillienfeld testified Monday that Goodwin's ex-girlfriend claimed Goodwin was obsessed with Thompson because he felt the racing legend had ruined him when their business partnership soured.
Lillienfeld said Gail Hunter also told him that Goodwin admitted his involvement after the couple watched an episode of "Unsolved Mysteries," telling her he hired two men to carry out the murders.
Goodwin's attorney, Jeff Benice, argued during the four-day hearing that Hunter made up the story, calling her a disgruntled ex-girlfriend who spent time in a mental institution and once tried to kill herself.
Prosecutors presented another witness who testified that Goodwin and his wife were visiting him in January 1988 when Goodwin complained that he was being destroyed financially by Thompson.
"He's taking everything I've got. I'm going to take him out," William Wilson quoted Goodwin as saying.
Thompson, known as the "Speed King," was the first person to travel more than 400 mph on land. He also built and drove racing's first slingshot dragster and set nearly 500 auto speed and endurance records. "
Although it wasn't updated on the most recent airing of the segment on Lifetime there has been an arrest in the Mickey Thompson murders, originally profiled in 1989. Here's the article (dated 4/20/02) with UM reference:
"HEADLINE: Former business partner ordered to trial in slaying of racer Mickey Thompson
DATELINE: SANTA ANA, Calif.
BODY:
Enough evidence exists to try a former business partner of Mickey Thompson for the 1988 killings of the racing legend and his wife, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
Michael Goodwin, 57, was ordered to stand trial on two counts of murder and three special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and multiple murders. He could face in life in prison without parole if convicted. Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno, who ordered Goodwin to trial, also denied a request by defense attorneys to have him released on bail.
Goodwin, a longtime suspect in the case, has pleaded innocent.
He and Thompson were once partners in promoting off-road racing. Goodwin was dubbed the "father of Supercross" after moving the competitions into stadiums and arenas in the 1970s.
Prosecutors claim he arranged the murders after a falling-out over business matters. Their disputes resulted in a series of lawsuits and a $514,000 judgment that forced Goodwin into bankruptcy.
Thompson, 59, and his wife, Trudy, 41, were shot to death outside their house in the gated community of Bradbury, 15 miles east of Los Angeles. Witnesses said the couple were killed by a pair of gunmen who fled on bicycles. The gunmen have never been caught.
Goodwin was arrested in December after two witnesses came forward. Prosecutors chose to try the case in Orange County because that's where they say Goodwin allegedly masterminded the killings.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Mark Lillienfeld testified Monday that Goodwin's ex-girlfriend claimed Goodwin was obsessed with Thompson because he felt the racing legend had ruined him when their business partnership soured.
Lillienfeld said Gail Hunter also told him that Goodwin admitted his involvement after the couple watched an episode of "Unsolved Mysteries," telling her he hired two men to carry out the murders.
Goodwin's attorney, Jeff Benice, argued during the four-day hearing that Hunter made up the story, calling her a disgruntled ex-girlfriend who spent time in a mental institution and once tried to kill herself.
Prosecutors presented another witness who testified that Goodwin and his wife were visiting him in January 1988 when Goodwin complained that he was being destroyed financially by Thompson.
"He's taking everything I've got. I'm going to take him out," William Wilson quoted Goodwin as saying.
Thompson, known as the "Speed King," was the first person to travel more than 400 mph on land. He also built and drove racing's first slingshot dragster and set nearly 500 auto speed and endurance records. "