Lawrence Goodine, a former Chattanooga Police Department officer, was convicted Friday of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of his ex-girlfriend Kara Akins, whom he beat and strangled to death before attempting to convince investigators she died of a drug overdose.
Background
Akins, 48, was found dead on Nov. 29, 2023, at her home on Carr Street in Chattanooga. Goodine and Akins had a mutual no-contact order stemming from a domestic violence incident approximately one month before the murder, according to court records. Goodine, 46, previously worked for the Chattanooga Police Department but was terminated after being accused of stealing and extortion, though he was ultimately cleared of those allegations and never returned to the department.
The Investigation
Ring doorbell camera footage proved pivotal in establishing the sequence of events that led to Akins' death. prosecutors said during closing arguments. The footage showed Goodine chasing down Akins as she ran outside the residence, yelling "Help!" before he pulled her back inside the home. Authorities said Goodine then beat and strangled Akins, killing her.
After the attack, Goodine spent several hours covering up his crimes before ultimately calling 911. He moved Akins' body across the living room, rearranged her arms and took photographs of her remains in an apparent attempt to stage the scene as something other than a homicide, prosecutors alleged.
"He told you that Kara Akins took something," Prosecutor Roger Layne reportedly told jurors during closing arguments. "The evidence in this case tells you what Lawrence Goodine took. He took Kara Akins' life."
When officers arrived at the residence, Goodine immediately attempted to convince them Akins died of a drug overdose, repeatedly stating "she took something." The medical examiner later determined Akins died of blunt force trauma and manual strangulation.
Key Takeaways
- Lawrence Goodine was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence along with other charges
- Ring camera footage captured Goodine chasing Akins outside as she screamed for help before he dragged her back inside
- Goodine attempted to stage the scene and convinced arriving officers that Akins died of a drug overdose
- The medical examiner determined Akins died from blunt force trauma and manual strangulation
- Goodine and Akins had an existing mutual no-contact order related to a domestic violence incident one month prior
- Jurors returned with a guilty verdict after approximately seven hours of deliberation
What's Next
Goodine was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction. A judge will sentence him on the remaining counts at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 22. Several of Akins' family members attended the five-day trial and expressed relief following the verdict.
"She was all love and she was true to herself to the very end and even with her abuser she tried to have the most patience with him and said, all the time, he's a good person with a bad anger issue, and I want her to remember like how loving she was," Akins' sister, April Lamothe, told WRCB after the verdict.