In March of 1873, the quiet life of 41-year-old widower Charles Goodrich came to a shocking and violent end in his Brooklyn brownstone on what was then known as Degraw Street. His brother, William, discovered his body, leading to a police investigation that would soon captivate the city. Initially, the scene suggested a possible suicide or a robbery gone wrong, but the peculiar details surrounding the body told a different story.
Charles Goodrich was found with three gunshot wounds to
his head, an unlikely scenario for a suicide. More strangely, his body had been carefully attended to after death. His face was washed, his hair combed, and a clean shirt had been put on him. This meticulous arrangement led investigators to believe that the person responsible was not a random burglar, but someone with a personal connection to Goodrich, likely a woman. Their suspicions were soon bolstered by neighbors who reported seeing Goodrich with a young woman at the house.
The investigation quickly focused on a woman initially known as Kate Stoddard, a factory worker in her 20s. For months, she remained elusive, but a chance sighting by a former roommate eventually led police to her boarding house. A search of her room revealed personal items belonging to Charles Goodrich, including his watch and a revolver with three empty chambers. Faced with this evidence, the woman, whose real name was Lizzie Lloyd King, reportedly confessed to the murder.
The motive, as it was revealed, was a story of a soured romance. King and Goodrich had met through a personal ad and had what she believed to be a marriage ceremony. However, Goodrich later informed her that the marriage was a sham and that he was engaged to another woman, demanding that she leave. The fatal argument occurred in the basement of the Degraw Street house, where, in a moment of spurned rage, King shot Goodrich three times. Following her confession, a coroner's jury found her responsible for his death. However, before she could be tried for murder, a psychological assessment deemed her unfit to stand trial. In 1874, Lizzie Lloyd King was committed to an insane asylum for life. The notorious murder left such a mark on the community that residents of Degraw Street petitioned to have the street's name changed to Lincoln Place to escape the 'unpleasant associations' with the crime.
