BANNING (CNS) – A convicted felon accused of fatally stabbing a 28-year-old woman at a Hemet property pleaded not guilty today to murder.
Autumn Brooke Goodwin, 27, of Hemet was arrested last month following a Hemet Police Department investigation into the slaying of Shawna Jean Rhoades.
Along with the murder count, Goodwin is charged with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a knife in the commission of a felony.
She was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 24 at the Banning Justice Center.
The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the nearby Smith Correctional Facility.
According to Hemet police Lt. Art Paez, about 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, Goodwin and Rhoades were involved in an unspecified confrontation at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of South Gilbert Street, near Stetson Avenue.
During the encounter, Goodwin allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed the victim several times, then fled, Paez alleged.
Witnesses called 911, and patrol officers reached the location within minutes, attempting lifesaving measures until an ambulance transported Rhoades to a regional trauma center, where she succumbed to her injuries a short time later.
Detectives initiated an investigation that culminated in Goodwin being identified as the alleged assailant. A search warrant was served at her residence in the 600 block of Vista Del Monte on Sept. 22, at which point she was taken into custody without incident, according to the lieutenant.
A possible motive for the alleged attack was not disclosed.
Court records show that Goodwin has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon.
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