In the early morning hours of February 24, 2022, a violent altercation in a southeast Minot, North Dakota, home tragically ended the life of 42-year-old Wade Goodale, a White male. Goodale was discovered with a gunshot wound following what police described as an argument. Despite life-saving efforts, including CPR and emergency medical treatment, he was pronounced dead at Trinity Hospital.
The initial investigation quickly led to the identification of two individuals connected to the fatal shooting.
Authorities arrested Mathew Anderson, 34, and Whitney F. Racine, 35, in connection with Goodale's death. Anderson was charged with murder, while Racine faced a charge of accomplice to murder. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that the case was a complex love triangle. The woman initially identified as Whitney F. Racine was later correctly identified as Regina Goodale, the victim's 35-year-old wife. Prosecutors established that Regina Goodale was romantically involved with Mathew Anderson and had orchestrated a plan for Anderson to assault her husband.
The tragic events unfolded while Wade Goodale was seated in his parked 1991 Honda Accord. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial showed that Goodale had been severely beaten and then fatally shot, with the driver's side window of his car broken out. Following the assault and shooting, Mathew Anderson and Regina Goodale left the scene without contacting the police or seeking any medical help for the dying man. Instead, they returned to their home.
In June 2023, a jury found both Mathew Anderson and Regina Goodale guilty for their roles in the crime. Anderson was convicted of murder for pulling the trigger, ending Wade Goodale's life. Regina Goodale was found guilty of accomplice to murder for her part in setting up the fatal encounter. Anderson was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. For her role in her husband's death, Regina Goodale was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison. Both Anderson and Regina Goodale later appealed their convictions, arguing that they should have been tried separately and that the jury had received improper instructions. However, the North Dakota Supreme Court affirmed Regina Goodale's conviction.
