On a tragic day in October 2020, the life of a young mother was violently cut short on the Crow Indian Reservation in southern Montana. Lenita René Divine Goes, a 26-year-old Caucasian female, was shot and killed on October 24, 2020. The incident unfolded when her ex-boyfriend, Taylor Leigh Plainbull, 27, spotted her driving in the opposite direction.
Plainbull, who was driving a stolen truck, made a sudden U-turn and pursued her vehicle.
The terrifying chase ended when Plainbull deliberately forced Goes' car off the road and into a ditch. Inside the vehicle with Goes was her new boyfriend and her six-year-old child, whom she shared with Plainbull. As Goes' boyfriend attempted to call for help, Plainbull approached the disabled car and fired at least one shot, fatally wounding her. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Plainbull abducted their child from the scene, leaving Goes to die.
The child was thankfully found safe later that same day. Law enforcement quickly identified Taylor Leigh Plainbull as the suspect, and he was subsequently arrested. He was initially charged with first-degree murder for the death of Lenita Goes.
In a later court proceeding, Plainbull accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder, as well as the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. For his crimes, he faced a potential sentence of up to life in prison. In a remarkable display of grace, the father of Lenita Goes issued a statement expressing that he chose to forgive Plainbull for his actions.
