A Middletown woman’s son reportedly told her that a sword protruding from his 67-year-old father’s abdomen was a fake.
“Don’t worry mom … it collapses,” Eli Goodrich said, according to Middletown police.
But when the 26-year-old Philadelphia man pulled the blade out of his father’s body, it was covered in blood,” police added.
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| Eli Goodrich |
About a half-hour later, Alan Goodrich was dead. Eli Goodrich, a 2011 graduate of St. Joseph’s University, is now charged with murder.
Eli Goodrich was arraigned before District Judge Maggie Snow early Wednesday morning on charges of criminal homicide and possession of a weapon. He was sent to Bucks County prison without bail.
Police allege that Eli’s mother, June, called them shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday to report the stabbing at the family’s home in the 500 block of Trappe Lane in the Maple Point development.
She told police her son was the suspect, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When police arrived at the home, they took Eli Goodrich into custody without incident. Alan Goodrich was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 5:30 p.m., police said.
At the home, Sgt. Steve Forman found a long sword with what appeared to be blood on the blade lying in the TV room where Alan Goodrich was found, the affidavit notes.
Police believe the father and son had an argument before the stabbing. June Goodrich claimed that her son had moved to Philadelphia with his fiancée, but spent the night every Tuesday at the family home.
Eli arrived at the home around 1:30 p.m. and, during the visit, June Goodrich heard her son and his father arguing.
“You are not going to control my mind anymore,” Eli told his father, she alleged. “I have to kill you.”
Eli Goodrich then left the home with the family dog but returned around 4 p.m. He went into the room where his mother was, told her that he loved her, then left the room, according to court documents.
A short time later, June Goodrich alleged that she heard her husband — who was sitting in the TV room on the first floor directly behind the room where she was — say, “You’re going to kill me.”
When she went into the TV room to see what was going on, she found her husband sitting in a chair with a sword protruding from his stomach, court documents show. Eli was standing next to him, she told police.
Alan and June Goodrich were antiques dealers who owned Goodrich Antiques and Folk Art, a home-based business, according to the company’s website.
Alan Goodrich was a former Neshaminy School District English teacher who retired in 2004, according to a district spokesman.
Eli Goodrich earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications at St. Joseph’s University, and listed his most recent job as an antiques dealer for his parents’ business, according to his Linked-In profile.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
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