Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cops Believe Woman Killed, Mutilated Her Stepfather
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 30, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 30, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After discovering in the body of a 55-year-old man bound, gagged, and castrated in a Queens apartment on Saturday, police believe that the apartment's tenant, Brigitte Harris, may be the murderer. Initially, it was unclear who the man, Eric Goodridge of Staten Island, was or why he was in the apartment, but the Daily News reports that he was Harris' stepfather and that Harris blamed him for sexual abusing her.
Police believe that Harris mutilated Goodridge after killing him on Saturday afternoon. Then she went to a friend's home on Staten Island, who "called 911 to report an emotionally disturbed person," according to the Post. The police say that Harris had lured her stepfather to her apartment via email, where she "handcuffed him to a chair, gagged him with duct tape and throttled him until he died" (News). One source said, "This is a homicide that had meaning and reason. It is like a movie, let me tell you." Harris remains in a Staten Island hospital.
Two relatives-in-law of Goodridge who heard rumors of sexual abuse gave the News differing opinions. A former mother-in-law said, "I would die if I could believe that. He wouldn't pay child support, but I wouldn't believe that," but a former brother-in-law said, "It stands to reason if someone pulls a Lorena Bobbitt, there's a good reason."
The reactions of Goodridge's neighbors were strange. Residents denied that he lived in the apartment complex when questioned by the Staten Island Advance and one neighbor said, "Who gives a s---?" when a CBS 2 reporter told him Goodridge was dead. As for residents in the Queens neighborhood where Harris, who works for a private security company at JFK airport, rented an attic apartment, they were more frightened. One told the Advance, "I hope it's not a serial killer that did this, cutting peoples limbs off. All I know is, I'm locking my door tonight."
Tagged
abuse
All I
As
cbs
crime
daily news
emotionally disturbed person
HOMICIDE
hospital
JFK
jfk airport
law
news
police
queens
rumors
staten island
Staten Island Advance
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Ballot questions ask NYC voters whether to cut red tape on outdoor dining, bike lanes
A rundown on five proposed amendments to the city charter on voters’ ballots.
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
The NYPD arrested a mom and took her kids' Christmas gifts. She never got them back.
A new lawsuit accuses the NYPD of making it hard for New Yorkers to reclaim seized belongings.
By
Samantha Max
News
The NYPD arrested a mom and took her kids' Christmas gifts. She never got them back.
A new lawsuit accuses the NYPD of making it hard for New Yorkers to reclaim seized belongings.
By
Samantha Max
Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge shooting
By
Charles Lane
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYC adult daycare operators charged with committing over $500K in Medicaid fraud
By
Caroline Lewis
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .