In the winter of 2006, the city of Phoenix was in the grip of fear, haunted by a series of brutal and seemingly random attacks. On February 20th, this wave of violence claimed the life of 34-year-old Mirna Palma-Roman. She and her co-worker, Romelia Vargas, were working inside their food truck when they were mercilessly shot and killed. Their bodies were discovered in the desolate area of 91st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, a location surrounded by new construction and a stark quiet that belied
the horror that had unfolded. Initially, investigators were uncertain if this double homicide was connected to the string of other crimes that had been terrorizing the city, as the method seemed different from the attacks attributed to the so-called 'Baseline Killer.'
The investigation into the murders of Mirna Palma-Roman and Romelia Vargas would eventually merge with the larger, more complex hunt for a serial predator. As detectives pieced together evidence from a growing list of assaults and murders, a terrifying picture began to emerge. The perpetrator was a man who stalked his victims, attacking them as they went about their daily routines. Ballistics and other evidence would later definitively link the firearm used in the snack truck slayings to other crime scenes. This connection was a pivotal moment for law enforcement, transforming a series of disparate and horrifying events into the clear work of a single, prolific offender.
The breakthrough in the case came when a woman recognized a police sketch of the suspect and identified him as Mark Goudeau, a 41-year-old construction worker with a prior criminal record for violent offenses. This tip led police to focus their investigation on Goudeau, who lived in proximity to many of the crime scenes. With a suspect in their sights, detectives utilized DNA evidence from a previous, non-fatal assault to conclusively link Goudeau to the reign of terror. On September 6, 2006, on his 42nd birthday, Mark Goudeau was arrested in front of his home, bringing an end to the 'Summer of Fear' that had held Phoenix captive.
Mark Goudeau's subsequent trial revealed the full, horrific scope of his crimes. He was charged with a staggering number of felonies, including nine counts of first-degree murder, numerous sexual assaults, kidnappings, and robberies. Prosecutors meticulously laid out the evidence that tied him to the murder of Mirna Palma-Roman and the many other victims of his violent spree. Despite his claims of innocence, a jury found him guilty on 67 felony counts. For his heinous crimes, Mark Goudeau received multiple death sentences and now resides on death row, leaving a community to grapple with the memory of the lives he so senselessly destroyed.
