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Murder Victim May Have Abused Others
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 31, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 31, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The lawyer for Brigitte Harris, the Queens woman accused of killing and mutilating her stepfather, says that Eric Goodridge committed a "pattern of repeated and systemic sexual abuse." Harris's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told reporters that while he couldn't say what happened on Saturday, when Goodridge was found dead in Harris' apartment, he did say that his client had been abused from age 3, "This guy was a monster."
The Staten Island Advance reports that there are a number of accusations that the 55-year-old Goodridge had abused family members, including Harris' sister Carleen Goodridge. Apparently others in the Liberian community heard rumors about the alleged abuse. A friend of Goodridge said, "A lot of people spoke about it. It's hard to keep a secret around here."
Police believe Harris, a 26-year-old who called herself "The Original Dark Angel" on MySpace, lured her stepfather to her apartment. After killing him, she apparently called 911 to let them know about "a man bleeding to death on third floor of the house." The Daily News reports that she left the apartment, leaving the door open for the EMTs, and later called 911, asking "How's Eric?"
The Advance says that Harris "sought psychological help several times" and "told a city social worker about the abuses, prompting an investigation that was never completed."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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