Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Netflix’s Homicide: Los Angeles looks into drag racer Mickey Thompson and his wife Trudy’s murder by his business partner-turned-killer Michael Goodwin. The second episode, titled “Race Car Killer,” re-examines the decades-old murders. It further delves into the high-profile case against Goodwin, who is now serving two consecutive life sentences in prison.
Reportedly, Mickey Thompson gained fame as the “Speed King,” his legendary role in revolutionizing drag racing. He started as a driver at 25 and soon became a builder and promoter with at least 500 speed records. However, Thompson’s iconic racing career was ended when two gunmen fatally shot him and his wife, Trudy, in March 1988. The murders happened in the morning hours in the driveway of their Bradbury, California, home.
Mickey and Trudy Thomson’s murders remained cold until the arrest of Michael Goodwin, his former business partner. Goodwin faced charges of plotting the killings, and the case later resulted in his conviction. The guilty verdict came despite a lack of physical evidence against him. Goodwin received two consecutive life sentences, but the real killers have never been identified.
Where is Mickey Thompson & his wife Trudy’s killer Michael Goodwin now?
According to the California Department of Corrections, Michael Goodwin is now serving his sentence in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. Goodwin’s two consecutive life terms began in 2007 after a jury convicted him of hiring killers to murder racing legend Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy. Authorities have never successfully identified the couple’s real murderers.
People Magazine reported that around 6 a.m. on March 16, 1988, two gunmen fatally shot Thompson and Trudy. The shootings occurred outside the couple’s home inside the gated community of Bradbury, California. A few witnesses claimed to have seen two Black men shooting the couple execution-style in their driveway before fleeing the scene. The victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds to their torsos as they were leaving for work that morning.
After the murders of Mickey and Trudy Thompson, people theorized they died in a robbery gone wrong until authorities named Michael Goodwin as the suspect. Authorities had considered Goodwin, Thompson’s former business partner, a prime suspect, but the case went cold for 13 years. They eventually arrested him in 2001, accusing him of orchestrating the murders despite a lack of physical evidence. He faced murder charges as well as counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
The case against Michael Goodwin for hiring Mickey and Trudy Thompson’s killers resulted in a conviction in 2007, per Reuters. Prosecutors had alleged that Goodwin and Thompson were once business partners, but their bond soured shortly after. The former had lost a two-year legal battle and a $514,000 judgment to Thompson before the murders. Moreover, he had to declare bankruptcy afterward and allegedly admitted to friends and business associates that he wanted Thompson dead.
After a jury found Michael Goodwin guilty of two counts of murder, he received two consecutive life sentences, per The Los Angeles Times. Regardless, Goodwin maintained his innocence. At his sentencing in 2007, Goodwin insisted he was innocent, claiming, “I can’t apologize, because I’m not guilty.” He also offered condolences to Mickey Thompson’s sister, Collene Campbell. The convict believes his trial was unfair, claiming no direct involvement in the killings.
Then, in 2015, Goodwin unsuccessfully appealed his conviction. However, a three-judge panel judge from a state appellate court upheld his conviction. They highlighted that despite a lack of direct physical evidence linking him to the case, the circumstantial evidence against him “was overwhelming.”
Michael Goodwin continues to serve his two consecutive life sentences without parole for the murders of Mickey and Trudy Thompson.
Homicide: Los Angeles is now streaming on Netflix. Additionally, viewers can learn more about Mickey Thompson and his wife Trudy’s murders in other documentaries and true crime shows. The case was previously featured in Unsolved Mysteries and 48 Hours.
