Man Found Guilty Of All Counts In 2014 Murder Of Medford Mom
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A former U.S. Marine was found guilty on all counts in the murder of a young mother from Long Island.
Cheers erupted in the packed courtroom as Dante Taylor was convicted of first- and second-degree murder in the rape and fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Sarah Goode two years ago, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.
The victim's sister, Samantha Murphy, said the verdict brings relief, but not closure.
"I wouldn't say closure; she's not coming back, it's never going to bring her back. But we got him," Murphy said.
Goode was reported missing on June 6, 2014. Her body was later recovered in a wooded area in Medford, about half a mile from where her abandoned car was initially discovered.
Investigators said physical evidence, DNA, and cellphone records linked Taylor to the crime. He was later arrested in Florida, where his mother admitted to sending him until it was "safe to come back," Xirinachs reported.
Prosecutors alleged Taylor raped Goode after a party then stabbed her 40 times, pulling much of the hair out of her head when she tried to get away after rejecting his advances.
The defense stated that Taylor had consensual sex with Goode and did not rape or kill her on the night she disappeared. They also conceded that evidence collected from his client was done so illegally and other suspects were never interviewed.
"We're very, very grateful that we were able to achieve justice for Sarah," Assistant District Attorney Janet Albertson said.
Taylor faces life without parole when sentenced next month.
Goode was a medical technician and the single mother of a 4-year-old girl.
