In the spring of 1985, a senseless act of violence cut short the life of Virginia Goebel, a 32-year-old mother of two, forever altering the lives of her family and the community of Virginia Beach. On the evening of April 14th, while working as a clerk at the Gulf Majik Market on Indian River Road, Goebel was brutally murdered. She was discovered on the floor of the convenience store, having been shot in the head after a robbery.
The investigation into the homicide led authorities to
Richard Townes Jr. Prosecutors built a case asserting that Townes had robbed the Majik Market and then killed Goebel to eliminate the only witness who could identify him. His trial in 1986 resulted in a conviction for the murder of Virginia Goebel. Townes, who chose to represent himself during the proceedings, offered little in his own defense during the sentencing phase. He presented no mitigating evidence, did not question any witnesses, and failed to object when the jury inquired about the possibility of parole for a life sentence.
The jury, grappling with the weight of their decision, ultimately sentenced Townes to death. Years later, some of the jurors would express regret, stating in affidavits that they would have opted for a life sentence had they been aware that Virginia law at the time would have made Townes ineligible for parole. They confessed to being troubled by the fear that he might one day be released back into society. Despite these later revelations and subsequent appeals, Richard Townes Jr. was executed for the murder of Virginia Goebel. His last words were a quiet assertion of his innocence to the prison warden. For Virginia Goebel's family, the legal proceedings and execution of her killer brought a complex mix of emotions, with her mother recalling a sense of pity for the family of the man who had so tragically and violently ended her daughter's life.
