Michael Goodman, 46, is expected to appear in Cook County court at 10 a.m. Thursday for sentencing in the killing of Serabi Medina. His plea agreement calls for a 40-year prison term. CBS News reports that Goodman accepted the agreement last month.
The judge has discretion over the sentence. Goodman is likely to receive credit for time already served, according to CBS News.
How the sentence is served
The Illinois Department of Corrections says that under Illinois’ truth-in-sentencing laws, people convicted of first-degree murder serve 100 percent of their sentence. This general rule does not establish Goodman’s individual time-served calculation.
How Illinois handles negotiated pleas
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 402 requires a negotiated plea agreement to be stated in open court and the judge to confirm its terms with the defendant. Before entering final judgment, the court must also determine that the guilty plea has a factual basis. These requirements describe the plea process; they do not establish what occurred at Goodman’s plea hearing.
The case against Goodman
Prosecutors described the shooting as unprovoked. In their account, reported by Block Club Chicago, Medina had been riding her scooter outside her home after getting ice cream in August 2023 when Goodman approached, ignored her father and followed her into the apartment building’s vestibule, where he shot her.
Block Club Chicago reported that Medina’s father struggled with Goodman over the gun and that a shot during the struggle struck Goodman in the eye. WTTW News reported that Goodman was charged with first-degree murder in the days after the shooting.
Family plans to address the court
CBS News reports that Medina’s family favored a plea deal because a trial would have required them to revisit the killing in court. Jaleesa Medina planned to speak to Goodman at the sentencing hearing. The family hopes the agreed-upon term will keep him imprisoned for the rest of his life, the station reports.
