Goodman appeal adjourned for March 2020

Goodman appeal adjourned for March 2020
A police officer escorts 43-year-old Kofhe Goodman, pictured in a long-sleeve plaid blue shirt, from court (file photo)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Kofhe Goodman is expected to challenge his murder conviction at a Court of Appeal hearing on March 18, 2020.

Goodman, 43, was sentenced to 55 years imprisonment in 2018 for the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer.

Last month, Justice of Appeal Jon Isaacs directed the court’s registrar to appoint Goodman a lawyer for the appeal.

During a status hearing yesterday, Goodman’s lawyer Stanley Rolle told the court that he did not have time to fully go through the case’s transcripts.

Goodman has been convicted twice for Archer’s murder.

Archer was found dead in bushes behind an apartment complex on Yorkshire Drive back in 2011.

The sixth-grade student of Columbus Primary was reported missing after he failed to return home from the store purchasing candy.

Goodman was originally convicted of murdering Archer on August 2, 2013 and sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Bernard Turner on October 29, 2013.

The Court of Appeal (COA), however, overturned the conviction and sentence, ordering a retrial due to pre-trial publicity.

In May 2018, Supreme Court Justice Carolita Bethel ruled that Goodman would not face the death penalty for the crime.

Seven years was slashed from Goodman’s sentence for time already served.

The Crown withdrew its appeal seeking a death penalty sentence for Goodman last month, and asked for the matter to be struck out.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.