Springfield quadruple homicide trial begins

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Scott Goodwin-Bey was indicted by a grand jury and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The jury trial began today and some of the state’s witnesses have been heard so far.

The shooting happened at an Economy Inn on North Glenstone Avenue in November 2014, now almost 10 years later Goodwin-Bey is set to appear in court.

This is the second time Goodwin-Bey is being charged with the murders. He was first charged in 2015 but the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case in 2016 after a court ruling that Goodwin-Bey could not be undoubtedly connected to the bullets found at the scene.

Investigators believed Goodwin-Bey shot the four victims Trevor Fantroy, Lewis Green, Danielle Keyes and Christopher Freeman because of claims they were telling police about his drug use.

Earlier today, the state questioned witnesses and presented evidence referring to an incident that happened 15 days after the shooting when police were called to a StarMart on West Chestnut for a disturbance involving a man acting strangely and with a gun. The prosecutors said that the gun was the murder weapon and witnesses say the man was Goodwin-Bey.

Witnesses have included a worker and manager at the StarMart, the officer who conducted the traffic stop and arrested Goodwin-Bey, and the officer who responded to the store and logged the evidence from the scene.

In opening statements, the defense called the prosecution’s evidence and witnesses “junkies and junk science.”

In the afternoon more witnesses took the stand. This included a man who was in the motel room at the time of the shooting, a former Springfield Police Officer who was the first to arrive at the scene, and a former detective who was in charge of evidence collection during the investigation.

The trial is set to resume tomorrow morning with the prosecution expected to present more evidence.

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