Arthur Frederick Goode III
Encyclopedia
Arthur Frederick Goode, III (b. March 28, 1954, Hyattsville, Maryland
- d. April 5, 1984, Starke, Florida
) was a convicted child murderer who was electrocuted
in Florida in 1984.
Goode, who was borderline mentally retarded, began to show the behavior of a pedophile in his teenage years and got into trouble with the law early, but was always released when his parents deposited bail
. In mid-1975, after several reprobations of child abuse (among those the molestation of a boy of 9 years and one of 11 years), Goode was sentenced to five years of probation
under the condition of psychological treatment at Spring Grove Hospital Center
in Baltimore
. Goode admitted himself to the treatment for several months but then left the institution and journeyed to St. James City, Florida
where his parents had moved.
On March 5, 1976, Goode committed the murder for which he was to be executed. In Fort Myers, he happened upon 9 year old Jason VerDow, lured him into the woods, abused and then strangled him. Then he traveled back to Baltimore where he abducted 10 year old Billy Arthes and took him to Washington, D.C.
. There he met 11 year old Kenneth Dawson and took both boys with him on a bus trip to Falls Church, Virginia
, where he murdered Dawson with Arthes being present. Goode was apprehended by the police after a woman had recognized Billy Arthes (who had since been reported as kidnapped but was physically unharmed on Goode's arrest). On being arrested, Goode told the officers: "You can't do nothing to me. I'm sick."
A jury in Maryland found him sane and guilty of murder and gave him a life sentence. Hereafter, he also received a trial in Florida, for the murder of Jason VerDow. He was permitted to conduct his own defense and was sentenced to death
on March 21, 1977.
One month before his death, Goode was interviewed by John Waters
for the Baltimore City Paper. Goode admitted to being a pedophile and to slaying the two boys, but saw his actions as some kind of "protest against society". He also said that if pedophiles were punished less strictly, they wouldn't need to hide by murdering their victims..
Goode was said to be one of the most hated men on Florida's death row. He wrote countless letters to school teachers, children seeking for pen pals, and also to the parents of the boys he murdered, boasting his crimes. He had a fixation with the child actor Ricky Schroder, and during an interview on the eve of his execution, he was asked if he had any last request. With a smile, he answered, "Yes, I want Ricky Schroder to sit on my lap when I am strapped into the electric chair." During the interview, he joked with reporters and had no remorse for the killing of the young boy.
For his last meal, Goode had steak, corn, broccoli and cookies. He also reportedly requested to have intercourse with a little boy for the last time.
Arthur Goode was executed by electric chair on April 5, 1984. His last words were: "I have remorse for the two boys I murdered. But it's hard for me to show it."
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
- d. April 5, 1984, Starke, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) was a convicted child murderer who was electrocuted
Electrocution
Electrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
in Florida in 1984.
Goode, who was borderline mentally retarded, began to show the behavior of a pedophile in his teenage years and got into trouble with the law early, but was always released when his parents deposited bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
. In mid-1975, after several reprobations of child abuse (among those the molestation of a boy of 9 years and one of 11 years), Goode was sentenced to five years of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
under the condition of psychological treatment at Spring Grove Hospital Center
Spring Grove Hospital Center
Spring Grove Hospital Center, formerly known as Spring Grove State Hospital, is a psychiatric hospital located in the Baltimore, Maryland suburb of Catonsville....
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Goode admitted himself to the treatment for several months but then left the institution and journeyed to St. James City, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where his parents had moved.
On March 5, 1976, Goode committed the murder for which he was to be executed. In Fort Myers, he happened upon 9 year old Jason VerDow, lured him into the woods, abused and then strangled him. Then he traveled back to Baltimore where he abducted 10 year old Billy Arthes and took him to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. There he met 11 year old Kenneth Dawson and took both boys with him on a bus trip to Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he murdered Dawson with Arthes being present. Goode was apprehended by the police after a woman had recognized Billy Arthes (who had since been reported as kidnapped but was physically unharmed on Goode's arrest). On being arrested, Goode told the officers: "You can't do nothing to me. I'm sick."
A jury in Maryland found him sane and guilty of murder and gave him a life sentence. Hereafter, he also received a trial in Florida, for the murder of Jason VerDow. He was permitted to conduct his own defense and was sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
on March 21, 1977.
One month before his death, Goode was interviewed by John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
for the Baltimore City Paper. Goode admitted to being a pedophile and to slaying the two boys, but saw his actions as some kind of "protest against society". He also said that if pedophiles were punished less strictly, they wouldn't need to hide by murdering their victims..
Goode was said to be one of the most hated men on Florida's death row. He wrote countless letters to school teachers, children seeking for pen pals, and also to the parents of the boys he murdered, boasting his crimes. He had a fixation with the child actor Ricky Schroder, and during an interview on the eve of his execution, he was asked if he had any last request. With a smile, he answered, "Yes, I want Ricky Schroder to sit on my lap when I am strapped into the electric chair." During the interview, he joked with reporters and had no remorse for the killing of the young boy.
For his last meal, Goode had steak, corn, broccoli and cookies. He also reportedly requested to have intercourse with a little boy for the last time.
Arthur Goode was executed by electric chair on April 5, 1984. His last words were: "I have remorse for the two boys I murdered. But it's hard for me to show it."
See also
- List of individuals executed in Florida
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...