Army Specialist Isaac Goodwin allegedly marries for money, and his wife commits suicide.
Katherine Morris, a 22-year-old student about to graduate from the University of Maryland, left a final message on her iPhone:
I am SO sorry for doing this to my parents in (sic) my friends, but I don’t see myself ever being happy again. When I look at my future I don’t see anything. I don’t see kids. I don’t see a husband. I don’t see love. I don’t see happiness. don’t see a career. I just see more misery. It’s easier this way. Please don’t let him get away with what he’s done & what he’s doing. I didn’t deserve this. I couldn’t handle this. It completely depilitated (sic) me.
Katherine’s lifeless body was discovered in her car parked at Anne Arundel Community College in Hanover, Maryland at 5:30 a.m. on May 6, 2012. According to the police report, two trays of burned charcoal were on the passenger floorboard. Katherine had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Back at Katherine’s apartment, her roommate, Michelle Harper, went into Katherine’s empty room. There she found a phone card, printed e-mails, a marriage license and a letter to Isaac Goodwin, neatly clipped together and placed on a laptop computer. In the letter to Goodwin, her husband, Katherine stated that she could not believe what he had done to her, and that this would soon be over.
Guess what? I love you
The two met at a club in February 2011. Isaac Goodwin was an Army specialist (E4) stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Katherine Morris was a junior at the University of Maryland, pursuing a degree in Family Sciences. They began dating, although their relationship was mostly phone calls and text messages. In May, Katherine baked Goodwin a birthday cake, but he never came to eat it. In June, Goodwin was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
By the summer, Katherine was unhappy about her involvement with Goodwin. She texted him the following on July 4, 2011:
I think it would be better if we just end this. I was happier when I was single. I wasn’t as lonely. I didn’t have to worry about all of the disappointment. You said you would do better, try better but you havent. Im willing to make things work only if im not the only one tryna make things work which has been the case. I meant everything I said a few Saturdays ago. I care about you deeply and I would be there for you through good and bad but that’s only if you could do the same for me and you havent. Your still the oly one I want but sometimes what we want isnt what we need. You talk a good game but fail to back it up with your actions. & a major thing is that you dont trust me and I don’t trust you and you can’t have a relationship without trust especially a long distance one. I still cant help but to feel like you have somebody else and that you never took me or us seriously. So dont be mad at me when I ignore your phone calls and texts just as you’ve done to me in my attempt to move on.
To this text, Goodwin replied, “Please call me!” and “I know u hate me, but I really need to talk to u Asap.” And on July 30, 2011, the following exchange took place:
Goodwin: Guess what?
Katherine: What?
Goodwin: I love you Kathy
Katherine: I love you too Isaac. That made me smile.
Goodwin: I can’t wait to see u
Katherine: Same here baby
On August 3, 2011, Goodwin and Katherine drove to Arlington, Virginia, where they married in front of a civil magistrate. Goodwin did not give Katherine a wedding ring. He convinced his new wife not to tell her parents about the wedding. Then he left, marriage license in hand.
Things that bother me
Michelle Harper and Katherine Morris became roommates in August 2011. Michelle was surprised to learn that Katherine had married Goodwin. In a notarized statement, Michelle said, “She had told me previously that he would act unreasonably jealous and controlling whenever she would go out to a party or not return his call or text right away.”
During the entire first semester, Michelle said, Goodwin came to see his new bride only twice. On numerous occasions Goodwin said he was coming, then cancelled his plans or simply failed to show up. “Besides Isaac not showing up, Kathy confided to me that they barely spoke,” Michelle stated. “She told me that she didn’t understand why he didn’t talk to her as much since they got married, and she felt really down and sad.”
Katherine was a full-time student, working two part-time jobs in her struggle to pay the rent each month, and disappointed in her marriage. By the end of the semester, she was both angry and despondent. On December 15, 2011, she sent Goodwin information about filing for divorce in Maryland.
Katherine suspected that Goodwin was cheating on her, but he denied it. On December 18, 2011, she sent Goodwin the following email:
Things that bother me about us/you/our relationship
- Not romantic.
- I feel like you don’t really want me. The last Time we made love you wouldn’t even kiss me.
- Controlling. I don’t mind you being the head but you are too controlling at times.
- Not a man of your word.
- The fact that you think I should tell my parents we got married myself is f***ed up especially since you never even asked them if you could marry me to begin with. The least you could do is actually be there with me to tell them.
- Double standards.
- I have yet to meet your family.
- I don’t feel comfortable enough with you to talk to you about A LOT of things so I keep a lot of stuff to myself
- Why have I never heard about your so-called “female” friends. I don’t mind you having them but why am I just now finding out that you have them.
- I still don’t know why you suddenly wanted to marry me out of the blue when the last time you had mentioned marriage you said that whoever was your next relationship was who you were going to marry even though you didn’t want to get married at that time but later on. A month or less after this you told me you wanted to get married. It confused me then and still confuses me. Why me? & why so soon? & why didn’t you ask me to marry you instead of telling me we were getting married?
- You threatening to kill me if I cheat on you.
- When you ignore me & don’t say anything.
A few days later, Katherine was convinced that Goodwin was cheating. On December 21, 2011, she sent him the following email:
I hope she’s worth it. I’ve packed up all of my stuff so it’s easier for my parents. I cut the screen out of my bedroom window. Now all I have to do is take the dive and you’ll be free from having to deal with me forever. No more me stressing you out, not trusting you, accusing you, threatening to divorce you, or anything else. You can be happy now. Till death do us part. I love you.