The Tribune

By Rashad Rolle

KOFHE Goodman has been found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Marco Archer.

Crown prosecutors told the court Friday night they will seek the death penalty for Goodman.

The jury's decision was unanimous after almost two hours of deliberations.

After the verdict, Goodman, 37, asked the court: "That's all?"

He then threatened Marco's family during an expletive-ridden tirade and nearly hopped over the prison dock trying to attack a lawyer, before spitting at the jury as he left the court room.

Outside Marco's grieving family members praised God for the verdict that had been delivered.

Goodman murdered Marco, of Brougham Street, between September 23 and September 28 of 2011.

It had been like a bizarre scene from a horror movie at the closing of the trial last night as Goodman responded to the guilty verdict by threatening the family of Marco Archer, spitting in the face of a female member of the jury and nearly hopping over the prison dock in a failed attempt at attacking the prosecutors.

Police rushed to restrain Goodman when, in the middle of his expletive-ridden tirade, he launched himself into the air and nearly landed outside the prison dock.

Gasps and screams could be heard inside the courtroom and prosecutors hastily rose from behind their desks and prepared to seek protection.

Although officers ran to restrain Goodman, they were not able to prevent him from spitting in the face of a woman as he was being escorted outside the court.

The woman retaliated by attacking Goodman.

Police officers had to restrain her as they escorted Goodman outside the court where he continued to wrestle with the officers.

Inside it was still tense as Justice Bernard Turner insisted that jury members remain in their positions while jurors consoled the visibly upset woman in whose face Goodman had spat.

Jurors had listened to testimonies from 18 witnesses during the nearly five month long trial and spent much of Friday listening to Justice Bernard Turner’s summary of the court proceedings before retiring to the jury room to consider their verdict.

In the end, it took them less than two hours to reach a decision.

After the verdict was finally read, prosecutors informed Justice Bernard Turner that they will be seeking the death penalty for Goodman.

Goodman could then be heard saying: “That’s all?”

The verdict was a relief that the family of Marco Archer struggled to put into words.

His mother, Tryphemia Meadows, fought back tears as she hailed divine intervention for the verdict in a trial she said was full of setbacks.

“He’s guilty. He’s guilty and he deserved it,” she said, adding: “Definitely a relief. We’ve been coming to court for four months, it’s definitely a relief. But we had no doubt they would’ve found him guilty cuz he is.

“This is the first step into the family healing. This doesn’t bring back Marco at all but this is the way for the family to find a way to heal and live with the fact that he is gone.

"It gives some relief to know that he wasn’t taken from us and the person who did it didn’t pay the price. It’s obvious now that Marco was a sacrifice. He was a sacrifice to get that man off of the streets so that he don’t do it to anybody else.”

She said: “Who have been watching this case, following this case and see what happen today could see that man is definitely a beast and he does not deserve to be on the street to touch any other innocent child. We thank God for strength and endurance. We thank God for the judge; he has patience like Job, God has to be in him. We thank God for the prosecution team and the jurors. We had doubts but God was on this from the beginning to the end,” she said, adding: “The lies and everything that happen throughout this trial from the defence lawyer, nothing worked. I mean I never saw so much mess in a courtroom for how that man carry on just to get this criminal back on the street but God is in control.”

Responding to the prosecution’s notice that they will be seeking the death penalty, she said: “I am happy. I am happy. We are happy with that. Marco was 11’ he was taken from us. A lot of children was damaged through this man.”