In the winter of 2014, the life of Sharif Goode, a 22-year-old Black/African American man, was tragically cut short in New Bedford, Massachusetts. On January 14, he and a young woman, Mabilia Maranhao, also 22, were discovered deceased inside a residence on Brock Avenue. The discovery launched an investigation by local law enforcement.
From the outset, authorities treated the case as an apparent murder-suicide. Those close to the situation indicated that Goode and Maranhao were a couple.
As investigators processed the evidence, the narrative of a domestic dispute culminating in a tragic and violent end began to solidify. The State Medical Examiner's office conducted autopsies to determine the official causes of death.
In the wake of the initial findings, a family member of Sharif Goode publicly expressed disbelief in the murder-suicide theory. Despite this, the investigation did not yield any information pointing to the involvement of any other individuals. No suspects were ever sought by the police, and no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Goode and Maranhao. The case was ultimately concluded as a contained incident, leaving a community to grapple with the sorrowful loss of two young lives.
