Mark Goudeau

Overview

Mark Goudeau was a suspected serial killer from Phoenix, Arizona, who was charged in the Baseline Killer attacks that terrorized the Phoenix metropolitan area between September 2005 and June 2006.

The offence

Goudeau was accused of sexually assaulting two sisters, one visibly pregnant, on September 20, 2005, and the attack was later linked to the Baseline Killer investigation.

The Baseline Killer crimes were described as including nine counts of first-degree murder (8 women, 1 man), 15 sexual assaults on women and young girls, 11 counts of kidnapping, and a number of armed robberies. The criminal was described as having no apparent motive, and the murders were described as brutal, with the killer often shooting the victims in the head. Police said shell casings found at each of the crime scenes all came from the same gun. The crimes were described as spreading north primarily in the North Central area of Phoenix after beginning around Baseline Road in South Phoenix, Arizona. Community fear was described as increasing as posters and billboards displayed a sketch of the Baseline Killer, offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Police described disguises used by the killer, including “wearing various disguises such as a Halloween mask” as well as “attempting to impersonate a homeless man or drug addict.”

Goudeau was charged with 94 crimes in all, including nine counts of first-degree murder, 15 counts of sexual assault, and 11 counts of kidnapping.

Investigation

Phoenix police spent thousands of hours patrolling and following up on hundreds of tips during the summer of 2006. Police said community meetings were held to distribute a sketch based on descriptions given by surviving victims.

Police announced they had collected forensic evidence including DNA and ballistics and other evidence implicating Goudeau in the killings.

Documents released by Phoenix police were described as detailing their investigation into the Baseline Killer and as including information on nine cases ranging from a double homicide to sexual assaults, robberies, and kidnappings. The documents were described as primarily comprising 20,000 pages of police reports about other suspects, with very little mention of Mark Goudeau, and as including redacted investigative leads.

The documents described the Baseline Killer posing as a homeless person in one incident by pushing a shopping cart toward a woman in a parking lot near 32nd Street and Thomas Road. In that incident, the man forced himself into her car and told her to perform oral sex upon him or he would kill her. The documents said the woman fought him off and that the man was wearing gloves, a mask, and clothing that covered his entire body. The documents said police sought partial hand prints, DNA, and ballistics reports to build their case, but that results were blacked out on the paperwork.

A claim of false confession was included in the material. While being interviewed by police in Kentucky on a burglary case, James Dewayne Mullins claimed responsibility for the murder of Georgia Thompson on September 8, 2005. Mullins told police he shot Thompson as she attempted to rob him outside the Scottsdale strip club where she worked. The body of Thompson was found almost 10 miles (16 km) away in Tempe at her apartment complex. Police did not believe she was killed elsewhere. Mullins changed his story when police definitively linked the homicide to the Baseline Killer, after which he told police he was not in Arizona. Mullins denied any involvement in Thompson’s death. On August 3, 2006, murder charges against Mullins were dropped, and authorities stated that Mullins caused a significant diversion of resources during the hunt for the genuine killer.

Mishandling of evidence was described: in April 2009, Times Publications published a story stating the Phoenix Police Department possessed the key DNA evidence eventually used to crack the Baseline Killer case nine months before the arrest but failed to timely analyze it.

A leaked police report in June 2009 was described as indicating another suspect had been questioned in connection to the Vargas and Roman lunch truck murder in February 2006. Terry Wayne Smith was described as a friend of the Goudeau family with a long, violent history of crime in California and Arizona. The material stated Smith’s criminal history included aggravated assault and armed robbery, and that he was a suspect in two homicide cases. Smith was described as having been released from prison shortly before the Baseline Killer attacks began, and as being arrested a few days after Goudeau. The material stated Smith was currently imprisoned for 4 years after allegedly holding his family at gunpoint the night before his arrest, and that he would be eligible for parole in 2011. The material said Police officer Rusty Stuart complied 166 page suggesting Smith may have been involved in some of the Baseline murders, but that police spokesmen said Smith had been properly questioned and dismissed as a suspect and that Smith was in jail at the time of one of the murders.

Arrest

Goudeau was arrested on September 7, 2006 and accused of attacking two sisters on September 20, 2005 while they were walking home from a Phoenix city park at night.

The material described Goudeau as returning to his home on 28th street near the location of the last abduction, rape and killing attributed to the Baseline Killer at the time of his arrest.

It was stated that in August 2006 Parole Officers in the Northeast Parole Office provided information to the Phoenix Police Department task force suggesting that Mark Goudeau matched the sketch of the Baseline Killer. Parole officers searched Goudeau’s residence and found a ski mask and a realistic “toy” handgun. Police used that information to obtain a search warrant for Goudeau’s residence and found additional items that linked him to crimes attributed to the Baseline Killer.

The material also stated that on September 4, 2006 Phoenix police announced an arrest in connection with a sexual assault previously linked to the Baseline Killer while serving a search warrant at 28th Street and Pinchot Avenue. It stated that 42-year-old construction worker Mark Goudeau was arrested and charged with attacking two sisters on September 20, 2005 while they were walking home from a Phoenix city park at night. The material stated Goudeau was linked to the attack by matching DNA evidence found on the victims.

Trial

Goudeau was tried in Maricopa County Superior Court.

On September 7, 2007, Goudeau was convicted in Maricopa County Superior Court on all 19 counts related to the sexual assault. Testimony was given over 7½ weeks, and the verdict took less than a day to reach.

The material stated that Goudeau was found guilty on 19 charges including 1 narcotics charge, and that he was sentenced to 438 years in prison on December 14, 2007 for the sexual assault charges.

The material stated that Goudeau pleaded not guilty.

During trial, the two sisters gave testimony that Goudeau approached them with a gun in his hand, forced them into nearby bushes, and told them to remove their clothing. The victims said Goudeau sexually assaulted the younger sister while pointing his gun at the other sister’s pregnant abdomen. Prosecutors said Goudeau warned the women not to look at his face during the assault. Prosecutors also stated he rubbed dirt on one of the women to remove saliva traces and wore a condom during the assault on one of the sisters.

A lawyer named Corwin Townsend was mentioned as Goudeau’s lawyer, and it stated his call was not returned for seeking comment.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced on March 16, 2007 that his office would seek the death penalty against Goudeau based on the fact that Goudeau was accused of committing multiple murders and other serious crimes and allegedly carried out the acts in a cruel manner. Another passage stated “Man charged with nine murders in 'Baseline killer' case” that on Tuesday a prosecutor said the man suspected of being the serial “Baseline Killer” was indicted on charges including nine counts of first-degree murder, and that prosecutor Andrew Thomas said:

“The reign of terror has ended. The quest for justice has just begun,” prosecutor Andrew Thomas said.

Sentencing

Goudeau was sentenced to 438 years in prison on December 14, 2007.

A background sentencing was also included. The material stated that in 1991 Goudeau was sentenced to 21 years in 1991 amid warnings from the court investigator that his chances of a repeat performance “appear to be great”. It also stated Goudeau was sentenced to 15 years in prison for assaults and 21 years for robbery and that he served 13 years before being paroled in 2004 by the Arizona Executive Clemency Board.

It was stated that at the time of the attack allegations he was on community supervision (parole) with the Arizona Department of Corrections and supervised out of the Northeast Parole Office.

Appeals

No appeals were described in the material.

Other criminal charges and status

The material stated that Goudeau was charged with 74 criminal counts linked to the Baseline Killer investigation, including nine counts of first-degree murder, five counts of sexual assault, and 12 armed robberies.

On December 7, 2006, Phoenix police formally charged Goudeau with all crimes associated with the Baseline Killer. It stated that Goudeau had been charged with 74 counts related to the case including nine murders, five sexual assaults, and 12 armed robberies. Another passage stated the indictment included 74 charges and that the 74 charges stemmed from crimes committed between August 2005 and June 2006 throughout the Phoenix area.

One passage stated that Goudeau was still awaiting trial for the 74 other criminal charges attributed to the Baseline Killer at the time described.

The material also stated that Goudeau had not yet entered a plea at the time of the indictment announcement in January 2007.

Background and prior record

Goudeau was described as having previously been an ex-convict who served 13 years for aggravated assault, a charge he pleaded down from the original one of rape and kidnapping. The material described that he pleaded down to aggravated assault and that the rape charge was dropped as there was no physical evidence of rape.

The material described a prior incident: court records said that the woman said Goudeau raped her and tried to force cocaine up her nose, that he beat her first with a barbell and a shotgun, threw her in the bathtub, then beat her again in the parking lot. It also stated Goudeau said the woman had willingly performed oral sex, and that they were about to take a bath when two people knocked at the door: a man who beat her up and another who held a gun on Goudeau. The material said Goudeau was allowed to plead no contest to three counts of aggravated assault.

The material described that in August 1990, before sentencing, Goudeau pulled a gun on a cashier at a Fry's supermarket at 30th Street and Thomas Road and robbed her of about $850, then forced employees to follow him out of the store. The material stated he told a probation officer he needed money for his crack cocaine addiction.

The material described family and upbringing. It stated Goudeau was born Sept. 6, 1964, to Willie and Alberta, and grew up in a Phoenix neighborhood near 12th Street and Southern Avenue. It stated the family divorced, and that an older brother said Alberta died in 1976 when Goudeau was 12. The material stated that there were 13 children, including seven boys and six girls, and that Goudeau was the second-youngest. It stated Goudeau and younger brother Marvin excelled at sports and both played football for Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. It stated Mark never graduated from high school because he failed to complete all the credits needed.

The material described family trouble, stating that court records painted Goudeau as a younger child in a family plagued by drug and alcohol abuse, and that at least six of 13 children were felons and at least four had done prison time. It stated one remained in prison and another had probation revoked the month before the described account.

It stated trouble began in 1982 when he and one brother were accused of raping a young woman, and that the brothers were never charged because the victim did not want to go forward with the prosecution. It stated he was charged with trespassing for a bar argument in 1987 and with driving while intoxicated in 1988.

It stated that in August 1989 he was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, and aggravated assault in the beating of a woman with a shotgun and the chasing of two witnesses at the scene at 28th Street and Osborn Road.

Victims and allegations described in the material

The sexual assault conviction involved two sisters. The material stated one of the sisters was visibly pregnant.

The material also included broader Baseline Killer victim descriptions without tying them all to individual trial counts in the conviction:

• Tina Washington, 39, was shot in the head in a homicide described on December 12, 2005.
• Romelia Vargas, 38, and Mirna Palma-Roman, 34, were found shot to death inside their snack truck described on February 20, 2006.
• Liliana Sanchez-Cabrera, age 20, was found dead in a parking lot on March 15, 2006, and the body of Chao Chou was discovered about a mile away; both victims were shot in the head.
• Kristin Nicole Gibbons was found badly decomposed about a week after a body discovery described on March 29, 2006 and was described as having been shot in the head.
• Carmen Miranda, 37, was abducted from a self-serve carwash and found dead from a gunshot to the head behind a barbershop about 100 yards (91 m) away; this was described as the last crime attributed to the Baseline Killer.

The material also described a person named Sophia Nunez as part of a ninth murder publicly revealed in December, and stated the Baseline Killer case originally included eight killings.

Timeline

• August 6, 2005 — Sexual assault at 9:45 pm at 7202 S. 48th Street, Phoenix; police say Goudeau forced three teenagers behind a church near Baseline Road and molested two of the girls.
• August 14, 2005 — Combined sexual assault and robbery at 4:10 am at 2425 E. Thomas Rd, Phoenix.
• September 8, 2005 — Homicide at 1:00 am at 3730 S. Mill Ave, Tempe.
• September 15, 2005 — Sexual assault at 9:40 am at 4512 N. 40th St, Phoenix.
• September 20, 2005 — Sexual assault at 10:30 pm at 3100 W. Vineyard Rd, Phoenix; the material described two sisters, one “clearly pregnant,” approached by Goudeau armed with a gun, with one sister sexually assaulted and the gun pushed into the pregnant belly, followed by arrest “one year later” when DNA evidence matched his profile.
• September 28, 2005 — Robbery at 1425 W. Baseline Rd, Tempe.
• September 28, 2005 — Combined sexual assault and robbery at 9:30 pm at 7202 S. Central Ave, Phoenix.
• November 3, 2005 — Separate robbery at 8:01 pm at 4019 N. 32nd St, Phoenix, followed by sexual assault at 8:10 pm at 3131 E. Indian School, Phoenix.
• November 7, 2005 — Three separate robberies at 8:08 pm at 2950 N. 32nd St, Phoenix.
• December 12, 2005 — Homicide at 6:55 pm at 6005 S. 40th Street, Phoenix; Tina Washington, 39, was shot in the head.
• December 13, 2005 — Robbery at 4:00 pm at 700 E. South Mountain Avenue, Phoenix.
• February 20, 2006 — Homicide at 7:38 am; bodies of Romelia Vargas, 38, and Mirna Palma-Roman, 34, were found shot to death inside their snack truck at 91st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road.
• March 15, 2006 — Double homicide discovered at 9:00 pm at 4102 N. 24th Street, Phoenix; Liliana Sanchez-Cabrera, age 20, was found dead in a parking lot and the body of Chao Chou was discovered about a mile away; both victims were shot in the head.
• March 29, 2006 — Homicide at 12:00 am at 2502 N. 24th St, Phoenix; a body was discovered on North 24th Street, followed by discovery of Kristin Nicole Gibbons about a week later.
• May 1, 2006 — At 9:00 pm at 2950 N. 32nd St, Phoenix, a man in a latex Halloween mask abducted a woman in a car and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.
• May 5, 2006 — Phoenix police went public with a list of 18 crimes believed to be the work of the Baseline Killer, which the material later said rose to 23 as of August 2, 2006.
• June 29, 2006 — Homicide at 9:30 pm at 2924 E. Thomas Rd, Phoenix; Carmen Miranda, 37, was abducted from a self-serve carwash and found dead behind a barbershop.
• September 4, 2006 — Phoenix police announced an arrest in connection with a sexual assault previously linked to the Baseline Killer while serving a search warrant at 28th Street and Pinchot Avenue.
• September 7, 2006 — Goudeau was arrested in connection with the sexual assault of two sisters.
• September 7, 2007 — Goudeau was found guilty on 19 charges related to the sexual assault.
• December 7, 2006 — Phoenix police formally charged Goudeau with all crimes associated with the Baseline Killer.
• March 16, 2007 — Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced his office would seek the death penalty against Goudeau.
• December 14, 2007 — Goudeau was sentenced to 438 years in prison.

Other details

Goudeau’s wife, Wendy Carr, said police had arrested the wrong man in remarks attributed to The Associated Press:

“My husband is innocent. This is a huge miscarriage of justice. And they have an innocent man in prison. This is all a mistake. He shouldn’t be in prison for something he didn’t do.”

The material described Goudeau as “a loving husband and exceptionally friendly neighbor who took meticulous care of his lawn,” and stated friends and family denied any possibility that he could be the Baseline Killer, saying he was framed by Phoenix police who were desperate for a suspect.

The material described a former sentence detail, stating that court investigator warnings were given and that his chances of a repeat performance “appear to be great”.

The material included a quote from the Clemency Board supporters:

“Mark's transformation from a young, sad boy to a mature, remorseful, ambitious and introspective man has been inspiring,” one wrote.

A company executive named Gary Burleson was quoted as saying:

“We are cooperating with authorities in any way requested. We will let the justice system take care of what it needs to do.”

Neighbors were quoted as describing him as a “sweet, sweet guy” and as someone who was “always home or with Wendy. He was a very hard worker,” and as saying “I would never suspect him of hurting somebody,” and “I cannot see him doing something like that,” in remarks attributed to individuals named Sue-Ellen Bennett, Burt Lewin, and Wilma. Oscar Goudeau and his sister Monica were described as visiting in April, with Oscar saying it was “like being born again.”

The material also described that the Baseline Killer name came from Baseline Road in South Phoenix, Arizona.