Arthur Frederick Goode III

Arthur Frederick Goode III
Arthur Frederick Goode III
	First degree murder
Criminal penalty	Maryland; Life imprisonment; Florida; Death
Details
Victims	Jason Verdow, 9; Kenneth Dawson, 11
Date	March 5, 1976; March 20, 1976
Country	United States
State(s)	Maryland and Florida

Arthur Frederick Goode III (March 28, 1954 – April 5, 1984) was a convicted child murderer who was electrocuted in Florida in 1984.^[1]^[2]

Goode, who was borderline mentally ill, began to show the behavior of a

Cape Coral, Florida

, where his parents had moved.

On March 5, 1976, Goode committed the murder for which he was to be executed. In

Falls Church, Virginia

, where he murdered Dawson with Arthes being present. Goode was apprehended by the police after a woman 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

sentenced to death

on March 21, 1977.

Goode's father described him as, "crazier than hell and dumber than a box of rocks."[3]

One month before his death, Goode was interviewed by

pedophiles were punished less strictly, they wouldn't need to hide by murdering their victims.^[6]

Goode was said to be one of the most hated men on Florida's death row. He wrote countless letters to school teachers, seeking children for pen pals, and also to the parents of the boys he murdered, boasting of 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.^[6] Arthur Goode was killed by electrocution 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."

Years later when asked to reflect on his involvement in executions, Warden Richard Dugger said, "Arthur Goode was the hardest. I had some real reservations about that one. Let's face it - he was a nut."^[7]

References

^ Serial Killer Central entry on Goode
^ Florida Department of Corrections: Execution List
^ "'THE ULTIMATE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL' - Fort Myers Florida Weekly". 18 November 2009.
^ Baltimore City Paper, March 9, 1984 Archived December 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Inmates Executed in Florida Archived November 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b "Next Stop: The Electric Chair | Baltimore City Paper". Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2011-04-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ D. Von Drehle, Among The Lowest Of The Dead: The Culture Of Death Row, New York, Times Book, 1995, p.235

Preceded by Anthony Antone – 1984	Executions carried out in Florida	Succeeded by James Adams – 1984
Preceded by Elmo Patrick Sonnier – Louisiana – April 5, 1984	Executions carried out in the United States	Succeeded by James Adams – Florida – May 10, 1984

[1] Serial Killer Central entry on Goode

[2] Florida Department of Corrections: Execution List

[3] "'THE ULTIMATE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL' - Fort Myers Florida Weekly". 18 November 2009.

[4] Baltimore City Paper, March 9, 1984 Archived December 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[5] Inmates Executed in Florida Archived November 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[citypaper-6] "Next Stop: The Electric Chair | Baltimore City Paper". Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2011-04-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[7] D. Von Drehle, Among The Lowest Of The Dead: The Culture Of Death Row, New York, Times Book, 1995, p.235

[1]

[2]

[6]

[7]

See also

References