Despite a prosecutor’s vow to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life, a California child killer who allegedly beat his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son so severely that he suffered from numerous traumatic injuries, broken bones, and “pulverized” organs is one step closer to being free after state officials approved his parole.
Governor Gavin Newsom now holds the sole chance to keep that promise.
Early in December 2000, Patrick Goodman—now 49—killed Elijah Sanderson. According to reports, the medical examiner discovered that repeatedly swinging the boy by his wrist into a wall had resulted in some of the injuries.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’s office argued against Goodman’s release during a parole hearing in December. The transcript was made public on Wednesday by the San Francisco Public Safety News website, which prompted fresh criticism.
“During a parole board hearing on December 14, he allegedly told the commissioners, “I hope that one day I will be able to show Elijah’s family, society, and everyone who was caught in the ripple effect of my actions, that I’m no longer the monstrosity that I used to be.”