Disappointed, angry and relieved is how the sister of Marco Archer described her family’s reaction to his killer narrowly avoiding the death penalty.
In an interview with Eyewitness News Tuesday, Tancia Humes said, her family “hoped, prayed and wished” Khofe Goodman would die for the brutal murder of her 11-year-old brother, who was a student of Columbus Primary School.
But the Supreme Court decided on another direction.
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 pretrial publicity.
On Monday, Goodman, 42, was re-sentenced to 55 years in prison.
“We didn’t like the back and forth, it was prolonged the sentencing and should have happened months ago unfortunately I guess that’s our court system, we planned and hoped and prayed for the death penalty,” Humes said.
“I guess we’re satisfied with the 55 years. If the Attorney General’s office decides that they want to appeal the sentencing, we’re with them 100 per cent.”
Humes said she does not believe Goodman can be rehabilitated.
“He has been in and out of jail, he has been convicted…,” Humes said.
“How could someone be rehabilitated who has been doing this same thing for all his life, from he was a teenager. I can’t see that being possible and all that should have been considered by the judge…
“This is not somebody who has done this once. He has been doing this. This is now in the public’s eye and we are aware of what he has been doing over the years because my brother is dead because he killed him.
“Other than that, it wouldn’t have been known. So, I totally disagree with that and we believe that he should have gotten the death penalty but we also are satisfied with the 55 years because that means he will not be seen on these streets – walking these streets anymore.
“We thank God for that.”
This is the third time Goodman has been sentenced for having inappropriate relationships with young boys.
In 1993, he was convicted of unnatural carnal knowledge against a 10-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years in prison.
In 1996, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempted murder and causing bodily harm to another 10-year-old boy.
Goodman has indicated he intends to appeal his latest sentence.
