On January 11, 2024, at approximately 9 p.m., Fayetteville police responded to reports of gunfire in the 700 block of Tamarack Drive. Upon arrival, officers discovered 32-year-old Jonathan Connell in the driver's seat of his vehicle, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead at the scene.
In the days following the incident, Connell's widow, Mikayla, publicly sought information regarding her husband's death, expressing a deep desire to
understand the circumstances and identify those responsible.
Approximately six months later, in June 2024, authorities arrested two suspects in connection with Connell's murder. James Dewan Goodman Jr. and Malcolm Robinson, both 28 years old, were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to traffic opium/heroin. Investigations revealed that Connell had arranged to meet the suspects at the Lake in the Pines apartment complex to sell 60 pills. Evidence, including cellphone records and a palm print matching Robinson found on Connell's vehicle, implicated both men in the crime. At the time of his arrest, Goodman was also facing a separate first-degree murder charge related to a 2016 case in Robeson County.
Both suspects were detained without bail in the Cumberland County Detention Center, awaiting trial for the charges related to Connell's death. The arrests provided some answers to Connell's family, who had been seeking justice since the tragic event.
For more details, you can watch the following news segment:
