The Profiles and Players in the Mickey and Trudy Thompson Murder Case
The trial of Michael F. Goodwin who created the sport of Supercross at the L.A. Coliseum in 1972, will bring together an assortment of witnesses, attorneys and experts who will weave together the evidence involving the March 17th 1988 slayings of Mickey and Trudy Thompson. Mickey was a racing legend in off-road racing and set hundreds of land speed records.
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Mickey Thompson was known as “Mr. Innovator,” “Mr. Promoter, “Mr. Speed” and the “Speed-King.” He had wealth, celebrity and 395 land speed records, an American racing legend. Thompson unofficially broke the 400 mph speed barrier and took part in more than 10,000 races. Before his murder, the Thompson family reported receiving death threats, but who made the threats, if or when they occurred had not been substantiated. Thompson had sued Goodwin, after a 3 month attempt at merging businesses, and the two wrangled in the courts for more than 3 years. Thompson finally won a judgement of $500,000 that grew to $726,000 |
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Trudy Thompson was Mickey's 41-year-old wife. Before meeting Mickey, Trudy worked as a secretary at Hot Rod Magazine. The two met water-skiing on the Colorado River. Colleen Campbell, Thompson's youngest sister, introduced the two. A romance bloomed and they married July 30, 1970. She was married to Mickey for 18 years. The two were always seen together, even at Mickey's businesses. Mickey gave here two diamond encrusted neclaces, one of which was the #1 and the other #10 since he couldn't decide which described her best. |
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Michael F. Goodwin: was convicted, in Jaunary of 2007 of two counts of murder and sentenced to two life terms without parole,for plotting the Thompson murders. Prosecutors allege Goodwin orchestrated the “hit” because of a soured business association that dissolved into legal action. The outcome left Goodwin bitter. Goodwin, the creator of the sport of Motocross, was extremely successful and very well known. This marked him as a prime suspect. Goodwin maintains that he was the target of a conspiracy, orchestrated by Thompson's sister. “I am innocent,” he said at his 2006 trial.. It has been more than 5 years since his conviction but no appeal has been filed. Goodwin attempted to replace his attorney in 2010 but the court denied his request. |
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Collene Campbell is Thompson's younger sister. For 18 years, she has vowed to catch her brother's killers and put them behind bars. She believes Goodwin plotted the murders. Campbell is a former San Juan Capistrano councilwoman, mayor and is politically active in Orange County politics. “In my heart, do I believe Michael Goodwin is guilty? ‘' Campbell said during an Aug. 6, 2003 interview with “48 Hours Mystery. “You bet your life I do.”
Campbell offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the conviction of the murders. Following Goodwin's conviction she said, "One down, two to go!" but there appears to be no on-going investigation to find the killers.
Recently, Goodwin asked the court to re-test 3 DNA samples taken from the murder scene to try to identify the killers. The court has refused.
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Deputy District Attorney Patrick Dixon is the lead prosecutor in this case. An experienced and respected attorney, Dixon heads the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office's, Major Crimes Unit. The section tries complex criminal cases. He is tough, aggressive and a no-nonsense attorney. Dixon is also part of the prosecution against music producer Phil Spector. Mr. Dixon was assisted in the prosecution by Alan Jackson, now running for the office of District Attorney in Los Angles |
- Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson is the second prosecutor on the case. Mr. Jackson, largely based on the Mike Goodwin conviction, is now running for the District Attorney of Los Angeles. .
- Deputy Public Defender Elena Saris representd Goodwin. She planned to prove the evidence is based on circumstantial evidence and there was evidence of other suspects that the court refused to allow her to present at trial. She was assertive and thorough, often clashing with the prosecution, but was no match for the seasoned prosecutor, Pat Dixon. Saris had represented defendants in more than a dozen major cases in Los Angeles courts.
- Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Griggs was the lead detective on the case in 1988. Griggs wrote a memo, that was submitted into evidence, that “outside forces” were interfering with his investigation. He followed witness statements who said they saw a man – a man named Joey Hunter--frantically trying to hitchhike out of the area on the morning of the slayings. Hunter failed three polygraph tests, and had no alibi. However, detectives dropped Hunter as a suspect and zeroed in on Goodwin, even though there was not then, nor has there ever been, any direct evidence linking Goodwin to the crimes.
- Sheriff's Detective Mark Lillienfeld was the lead investigator on the case. Lillienfeld has been an L.A. Sherriff's deputy for more than 20 years and has handled more than 100 cases. Lillienfeld contends he “misinterpreted” two ballistic reports when he alleged that Goodwin provided a murder weapon to the killers. The defense in the Orange County case proved the affidavits Lillienfeld used to arrest and charge Goodwin contained key evidence that was false. The case was dismissed by the Organge County court.
Sources: Colene Campbell, CBS' "48 Hours," and newspaper reports from Los Angeles Times, the Pasadena Star News, an interview with John Bradley of “Justice on Trial,” F.B.I. Ballistics Manual, Smith & Wesson, L.A. Sherriff's Dept Ballistics Reports.
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