Brigitte Harris case
Encyclopedia
Brigitte Harris was a Queens, New York woman who committed the suffocation
and castration
murder
of her Liberia
n-born father Eric Goodridge in her Rockaway, Queens
apartment. Both Brigitte and her sister, Carleen Goodridge, had claimed that their father had raped and sexually abused
them since they were little girls. Due to her abuse allegations, Brigitte received an outpouring of supporters, including US Senator Chuck Schumer, New York State Senators Diane Savino
and Eric Adams
. At Brigitte's highly publicized trial
in fall 2009, she was convicted of second-degree manslaughter
and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.
apartment, and she went to live with her father, who allegedly molested and raped her, on Staten Island
. Her father later moved back to his home country of Liberia, and Brigitte moved around with relatives. During a family trip to Liberia, Brigitte confronted her mother and pastor
about the abuse, but Eric Goodridge denied the allegations. By the time she was 26, Brigitte had been living on her own for years and worked as an airport security guard.
, but never showed up at the police precinct as she said she would. Instead she checked herself into the Richmond University Medical Center
psychiatric ward. Brigitte's sister Carleen hired defense lawyer Arthur L. Aidala
to represent Brigitte, and she set up a website called savebridget.con to raise money for her sister's legal defense.
on August 16, 2007, and was held at Rikers Island
. Brigitte, who was referred to herself as "Lady Vengeance" and "The Original Dark Angel" on her MySpace
page, had claimed that she had not intended to kill her father, however. She claimed that she only meant to "take away his weapon".
to remove his penis. She burned the severed penis on the stove, then threw it under a Far Rockaway
boardwalk. Brigitte argued that her motive
for the killing was not revenge, but acted only after she learned about Eric Goodridge's plans to take his granddaughters to Liberia
.
On September 30, 2009, Brigitte's jury found her guilty of the lesser included offense
of second-degree manslaughter. One juror reported that "None of us felt that she deserved to get any murder charges or anything. So we decided on Manslaughter II."
Brigitte stated that "I don't think killing him was the answer...I can't believe I actually did it. The only thing I had in my mind was to stop him." She also stated that she wants to work for the advocacy group
STEPS to End Family Violence when she gets out of prison.
Brigitte's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
in November 2010. The program contains statements from Brigitte, her attorney Arthur L. Aidala
and her supporters.
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
and castration
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of her Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n-born father Eric Goodridge in her Rockaway, Queens
Rockaway, Queens
The Rockaway Peninsula, informally The Rockaways, is the name of a peninsula of Long Island, all of which is located within the New York City borough of Queens. A popular summer resort area since the 1830s, Rockaway has become a mixture of lower, middle, and upper-class neighborhoods...
apartment. Both Brigitte and her sister, Carleen Goodridge, had claimed that their father had raped and sexually abused
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
them since they were little girls. Due to her abuse allegations, Brigitte received an outpouring of supporters, including US Senator Chuck Schumer, New York State Senators Diane Savino
Diane Savino
Diane Savino is a Democratic elected official from New York City, USA.She currently represents the 23rd Senate District in the New York State Senate, in northern Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Sunset Park and Coney Island. She was elected in 2004.On December 2, 2009, Savino...
and Eric Adams
Eric Adams (politician)
Eric L. Adams is a Democratic State Senator in the New York Senate. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Heights....
. At Brigitte's highly publicized trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
in fall 2009, she was convicted of second-degree manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.
Early Life
Brigitte Harris was born on June 6, 1981. When she was 2 years old, she was abandoned by her mother in their Park Hill, New YorkPark Hill, Yonkers
Park Hill is a neighborhood in southwestern Yonkers, New York. The neighborhood is located east of South Broadway. Park Hill contains many vintage single-family homes, many overlooking the Hudson River. The neighborhood was developed in 1888 by the American Real Estate Company of Manhattan. The...
apartment, and she went to live with her father, who allegedly molested and raped her, on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Her father later moved back to his home country of Liberia, and Brigitte moved around with relatives. During a family trip to Liberia, Brigitte confronted her mother and pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
about the abuse, but Eric Goodridge denied the allegations. By the time she was 26, Brigitte had been living on her own for years and worked as an airport security guard.
Crime
On July 28, 2007, Brigitte Harris handcuffed her father and asphyxiated him inside her Rockaway apartment. Then, using a scalpel, she removed her father's penis. She called 911911
Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...
, but never showed up at the police precinct as she said she would. Instead she checked herself into the Richmond University Medical Center
Richmond University Medical Center
Richmond University Medical Center is a hospital in West New Brighton, Staten Island in New York City. The hospital occupies the buildings that were formerly St. Vincent's Medical Center, which closed in 2006.-History:...
psychiatric ward. Brigitte's sister Carleen hired defense lawyer Arthur L. Aidala
Arthur L. Aidala
Arthur L. Aidala , currently a New York City defense lawyer and legal analyst on Fox News Channel where he appears on various day and prime time programs.-Background:...
to represent Brigitte, and she set up a website called savebridget.con to raise money for her sister's legal defense.
Investigation
After being discharged from the psychiatric ward Brigitte was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
on August 16, 2007, and was held at Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
. Brigitte, who was referred to herself as "Lady Vengeance" and "The Original Dark Angel" on her MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, had claimed that she had not intended to kill her father, however. She claimed that she only meant to "take away his weapon".
Trial
Two years after her arraignment for second-degree murder, Brigitte went to trial in September 2009. She testified in her own defense that she had researched the 1993 castration case of Lorena Bobbitt. Prosecutors maintained that Brigitte had intentionally handcuffed her father to a chair, stuffed a towel down his throat, then used a scalpelScalpel
A scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts . Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpenable blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable...
to remove his penis. She burned the severed penis on the stove, then threw it under a Far Rockaway
Far Rockaway, Queens
Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood starts at the Nassau County line and extends west to Beach 32nd Street. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community...
boardwalk. Brigitte argued that her motive
Motive
-Creative or artistic work:* Motive art movement, a philosophical artistic movement started by the artist Blake Ward* Motive , 1990* Motive , 1990* The Motive, a punk band...
for the killing was not revenge, but acted only after she learned about Eric Goodridge's plans to take his granddaughters to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
On September 30, 2009, Brigitte's jury found her guilty of the lesser included offense
Lesser included offense
A lesser included offense, in criminal law, is a crime for which all of the elements necessary to impose liability are also elements found in a more serious crime....
of second-degree manslaughter. One juror reported that "None of us felt that she deserved to get any murder charges or anything. So we decided on Manslaughter II."
Aftermath
Despite jury letters, Queens Supreme Court Judge Arthur Cooperman sentenced Brigitte Harris to the maximum of 5 to 15 years in prison.Brigitte stated that "I don't think killing him was the answer...I can't believe I actually did it. The only thing I had in my mind was to stop him." She also stated that she wants to work for the advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
STEPS to End Family Violence when she gets out of prison.
Brigitte's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
in November 2010. The program contains statements from Brigitte, her attorney Arthur L. Aidala
Arthur L. Aidala
Arthur L. Aidala , currently a New York City defense lawyer and legal analyst on Fox News Channel where he appears on various day and prime time programs.-Background:...
and her supporters.