A wrong-way traffic stop on Sage Street this week unraveled a four-year-old New Orleans mystery, leading to the arrest of a woman accused of causing a 2022 Easter Sunday crash that killed two people in the Seventh Ward. Destiny Goodman was booked on two counts of manslaughter and a felony hit-and-run charge after New Orleans Police Department officers say they recognized her name from the unsolved case the moment she was pulled over.
The crash happened around 7 p.m. on April 17, 2022, at the intersection of North Miro and Pauger streets, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Investigators determined that a tan Chevrolet Suburban was traveling the wrong way down Pauger Street at high speed when it collided with a Honda Accord, causing the Suburban to overturn and strike five pedestrians on the sidewalk along with three parked vehicles. As reported by WWL-TV, four people were hospitalized in addition to the two who died.
Two Deaths, Weeks Apart
The crash claimed the lives of 57-year-old Joseph Clark, who died from his injuries shortly after the collision, and 62-year-old Senetta Hodges, who died two weeks later in a hospital, per the same report. Both were severely hurt in the initial impact, according to WDSU, which first reported the arrest Wednesday.
Goodman was identified early on as the registered owner of the Suburban and named a person of interest in 2022, with NOPD issuing public appeals seeking her in May 2023, the station's report notes. But she evaded arrest for more than four years, until a routine traffic detail caught up with her this week.
A Wrong-Way Stop Breaks the Case
On September 1, NOPD Traffic Unit officers stopped Goodman in the 2600 block of Sage Street for driving the wrong way, part of a targeted enforcement operation launched in response to community complaints about the corridor. Officer Corey Campbell recognized Goodman's name from her prior status as a 2022 person of interest and alerted lead investigator Richard Chambers to confirm her identity, according to NOPD. Goodman initially gave officers a false identity during the stop, the department said, before her true identity was confirmed and she was taken into custody.
Police say Goodman admitted to the crash during an interview after her arrest, according to WDSU. She was also found to have several outstanding warrants for domestic battery and parole violations at the time of the stop, per WDSU.
Charges and Prior Probation
Jail and court records show Goodman was booked on two counts of manslaughter in addition to felony hit-and-run driving charges, WWL-TV reports. She was already under court supervision at the time: records show she pleaded guilty in June 2025 to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminally negligent discharge of a firearm, receiving a two-year suspended sentence and two years of active probation. She was actively serving that probation when officers pulled her over on Sage Street.
Under Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:100, felony hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious bodily injury carries a mandatory prison sentence of five to 20 years, with or without hard labor, according to Justia Law. Separately, Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:31 sets a maximum penalty of up to 40 years at hard labor for a manslaughter conviction, meaning Goodman's two counts carry decades of potential prison exposure. She has not yet been convicted and retains the presumption of innocence as the case moves through court.
Part of a Larger Pattern
Hoodline has reported that the City of New Orleans has been developing a Safe Streets for All action plan aimed at identifying dangerous traffic corridors and prioritizing safety interventions to cut down on traffic fatalities. Local groups have consistently pushed for tougher enforcement against wrong-way and high-speed driving, a pattern reflected in recent NOPD traffic fatality cases across the city. Goodman's arrest marks the second time this year a New Orleans hit-and-run cold case has resulted in an arrest tied to a fatal crash, following a similar case involving a Saint Claude Avenue crash reclassified from hit-and-run to homicide earlier this year.
