A Oneida stepmother pleaded no-contest Wednesday after prosecutors said a 14-year-old girl in her care was hospitalized weighing about 35 pounds and suffering life-threatening organ damage. Melissa Goodman is the first person convicted in the Outagamie County case and is set to be sentenced in July, while three other adults who lived in the home remain charged as the investigation continues.
Plea deal and sentencing
Goodman entered no-contest pleas to counts including chronic neglect of a child, with one count tied to great bodily harm and another tied to emotional damage, along with a count of false imprisonment. Three additional neglect counts were dismissed under the deal, according to WBAY. The judge scheduled sentencing for July 1 to allow time for a pre-sentencing report and other required paperwork, the outlet reported.
Hospital staff and the criminal complaint
Medical staff and court documents say the teen weighed about 35 pounds when she was first examined, was intubated, airlifted and treated for respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis and pancreatitis, according to WLUK. Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine told the court the girl was "very, very close to death - 35 pounds at 14 years old," the station reported.
Other defendants and court dates
Three other adults - the girl's father, Walter Goodman; Melissa's daughter, Savanna LeFever; and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler - remain charged with multiple felony counts of chronic neglect that include consequences for great bodily harm and emotional damage. Court records show Walter Goodman has a pretrial conference on May 28, LeFever has a pretrial conference on June 17, and a plea hearing for Stemler is scheduled for May 7, according to NBC 26.
What investigators say about life inside the home
The criminal complaint, as reported by WEAU, states the teen had not seen a medical provider in about five years, was sometimes locked in a bedroom with a camera on her and was fed only Pediasure, leftovers or sandwiches when she was fed at all. Medical staff also said the girl ate and began gaining weight while hospitalized, which prosecutors argue undercuts the family's claim that she refused food because of autism.
Legal exposure and next steps
The specific counts Goodman pleaded to carry steep maximum penalties. The neglect charge tied to great bodily harm can carry up to 25 years, the emotional-damage counts can carry up to 15 years and the false imprisonment count can carry up to six years, meaning decades behind bars are possible depending on how the judge sentences her, according to NBC 26. Sentencing for Goodman is set for July 1, while the other defendants' cases remain in pretrial phases with additional plea and trial dates still to come.
