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June 11, 2009

Goodwin guilty on all four counts

By BOB GIBBINS



A Cherokee County jury deliberated for approximately four hours Wednesday before convicting a Sallisaw man of first-degree manslaughter and three other charges.

Jacob Wayne Goodwin, 22, was allowed to remain free on a $25,000 bond previously set by the court. District Judge Mike Norman also said the requirement that Goodwin wear an ankle monitor will remain in effect until he returns to court Sept. 23 for formal sentencing.

Goodwin, who was seriously injured in the crash that killed Jorge Espinoza Ayala, showed no emotion throughout the trial or as the verdicts were read.

Jurors began deliberating at 3:30 p.m. on the manslaughter charge that stemmed from the Feb. 2, 2007, crash.

The panel also found Goodwin guilty of possession of a stolen vehicle, DUI and possession of alcohol by a person under 21. Jurors recommended a 20-year term on the manslaughter conviction; year-long sentences were recommended on the possession of stolen vehicle and DUI charges. The jury also asked for fines totaling $5,000.

Prosecutors charged Goodwin with killing Ayala in the crash, which was investigated by Police Chief Clay Mahaney 2-1/2 years ago when Mahaney was a patrol officer.

Goodwin, who was 20 at the time, was driving a Ford pickup truck stolen from Tahlequah Police Officer David Craig.

Assistant District Attorney Josh King, who represented the state at trial, asked Norman to remand Goodwin into custody after the verdict was read and deny an appeal bond. Goodwin’s attorney, Stephen Fabian, asked Norman to allow his client to remain free on bond.

Several family members and friends of Goodwin, who have been in the courtroom throughout the trial, waited with him while jurors decided his fate. They were in the courtroom when Norman read the four verdicts.

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