In the late afternoon of May 5, 2017, the life of 32-year-old Joseph C. Goodin, a Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in a west side Indianapolis garage. The incident unfolded around 5:30 p.m. in the 5900 block of Bertha Street, a neighborhood described by residents as typically quiet. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting and discovered Goodin unresponsive inside the garage.
He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A suspect, 23-year-old Derrick Walbert, was apprehended at the location. Witnesses had reportedly detained Walbert until law enforcement arrived. During the subsequent investigation, Walbert admitted to detectives that he was the one who had shot Goodin. He was arrested and faced a preliminary charge of murder.
The legal proceedings that followed saw a significant development in March 2018. Derrick Walbert entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to a single count of voluntary manslaughter. As a result of this plea agreement, the original murder charge against him was dismissed. The following month, in April 2018, Walbert was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in Joseph Goodin's death, bringing a close to the criminal case.
