In the early morning hours of June 4, 2023, the life of 23-year-old Emily Goodell, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short in a violent act of domestic violence in Grand Island, Nebraska. Only 72 days after her courthouse wedding, Emily was shot and killed by her 26-year-old husband, Rex Goodell.
The events leading to the tragedy began to unfold when Emily, feeling unsafe with her husband in their Lincoln home, reached out to a new acquaintance, 23-year-old Hayes Morgheim, whom she
had met online. Morgheim drove to Lincoln on the night of June 3rd to pick her up and bring her to the perceived safety of his mother's home in Grand Island. This was the first time Morgheim's family had met Emily.
Rex Goodell, reportedly tracking Emily's location, drove the hour-and-a-half from Lincoln to Grand Island, arriving at the Morgheim residence around 2:15 a.m. There, he first encountered Hayes Morgheim outside the house and shot him multiple times. He then forced his way into the home, where he located Emily and fatally shot her.
As police began to close in on the scene, Rex Goodell took his own life. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that Rex Goodell was the sole suspect in the killings of his wife, Emily Goodell, and Hayes Morgheim. The investigation concluded that no officers fired their weapons during the incident.
