SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — After years of court battles, a jury convicted former East Point police officer Richard Gooddine on all counts in his retrial earlier this month.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Now, the Fulton County prosecutors who helped secure that conviction are revealing more about the case — including the piece of evidence they say was especially important to the jury.
Gooddine was accused of using his badge and authority to sexually assault women and teenage girls while on duty. His first trial in 2022 ended with seven acquittals and a mistrial on 10 other counts after jurors could not reach a verdict.
The remaining charges led to his retrial this year.
After more than two weeks of testimony from more than 40 witnesses, the jury deliberated for one day before finding Gooddine guilty.
Executive District Attorney Julianna Peterson and State Prosecutor Siri Patel told Channel 2 Action News that Gooddine was the first police officer either of them had prosecuted.
“Our job is to make sure that anyone who breaks the law is held accountable no matter how little or how much power they have,” Peterson said.
Prosecutors told the jury during opening statements that Gooddine carefully chose vulnerable victims and used his badge to intimidate them.
One piece of evidence they focused heavily on was surveillance video from a hospital on the same night Gooddine was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
PREVIOUS STORIES:
- Officer used badge, authority to sexually assault women while on duty, prosecutor says
- New DNA evidence, police policy questions emerge in retrial of ex-officer accused of rape
- ‘It’s a terrible feeling’: Woman talks about alleged sexual assault by ex-Sgt.
The video showed Gooddine arriving at the hospital less than 10 minutes after the teenager arrived to report the alleged assault. Prosecutors said he argued with nurses before eventually leaving.
Patel said the interaction showed how Gooddine was willing to use his authority, pointing to his statement to a nurse that “everything here is my business.”
One juror who spoke with Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes off camera said the video was the main reason the jury found Gooddine guilty.
The prosecutors said they also wanted to make sure the victims had the opportunity to tell their stories.
“We wanted to make sure the victims could tell their story,” Patel said.
Peterson said the verdict sends a message about accountability for officers who break the law.
“You cannot do something like this to children and not be held accountable,” she said.
Gooddine was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years following the conviction.
Peterson and Patel also emphasized that the case involved one former officer and does not represent the many other officers serving in Fulton County.
For prosecutors, they said, the case ultimately came down to making sure the victims were heard and that the evidence was presented to the jury.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]