THOMPSON MURDER TRIAL UPDATE: GOODWIN’S DRIVER TESTIFIES AGAINST HIM

At the sensational Mickey Thompson murder trial, the prosecution had Mike Goodwin’s messenger and driver testify that he overheard Goodwin say back in 1987, “We’re going to screw Mickey out of everything.” The driver, Stewart Linkletter, said he heard Goodwin and an associate talk about “ripping him off” (referring to Thompson) and later told him, “Stew, if you ever say anything to anyone about this conversation, I’ll kill you.'”

On cross examination by Goodwin’s public defender Elena Saris, Linkletter admitted that he had called a hot line for the television show “America’s Most Wanted” after the program offered a $1 million reward for any information on the case. The defense argues that Goodwin was a victim of false assumptions, and that TV shows created a “folklore” that prompted people to come forward with unsubstantiated accounts.

Additionally, Penn Weldon, a private investigator, testified later in the day that Goodwin had contacted him in late 1987 and said he wanted to “get even” with Thompson. Weldon said Goodwin asked him to bug the car and home of Thompson’s lawyer. “I said I couldn’t do it because it was illegal,” said Weldon.