Men who beat longtime Claymont janitor, then tried to cover up the murder, plead guilty

A 21-year-old man who admitted to killing a Claymont man last year − and whose GPS ankle monitor placed him at the site where the victim's charred body was found − was the third and final person to take a plea for their role in the murder.

Justin Locke, who helped kill 56-year-old Kevin Goodson, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder, kidnapping, a weapons charge and conspiracy.

He was arrested last summer after a driver who was passing Claymont Auto Repair just before midnight on July 23, 2022, saw several men "placing what appeared to be a human body into the rear cargo area" of a red SUV. The driver called police, who quickly retrieved video surveillance that showed the brutal assault of Goodson.

While police didn't find Goodson's body for several days, Locke and 23-year-old Jeffrey Labarge were arrested on July 28 and charged with the attack. Their charges were upgraded to murder once Goodson's body was found.

A third man, 23-year-old Tyler Simpson, remained on the loose for a little more than a week but was arrested in Pennsylvania in early August. He was also charged with murder.

All three recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, conspiracy and kidnapping, while Locke additionally pleaded to possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

He faces a sentence of 20 years to life, while the other two face 17 years to life.

What happened?

According to court testimony and documents, the incident unfolded around 11 p.m. on July 23 when Locke “had issues” with Goodson, who was buying coffee at a nearby gas station. Locke told police an “altercation” took place in line, Delaware State Police Detective Brian McDerby testified last August.

In a recorded police interview conducted after his arrest, Locke admitted that soon after Goodson left the gas station, he, Labarge and Simpson found the man walking near Claymont Auto Repair and attacked the 56-year-old, first punching him and knocking him to the ground, then repeatedly kicking and punching him.

He also confessed that the trio left the neighborhood but returned about 30 minutes later in Locke's car, where Labarge and Simpson “dragged the victim's body toward the rear trunk area of the vehicle and placed the victim into the trunk,” McDerby said.

BACKGROUND: Inside court room, a grieving family listens as more details emerge about Claymont killing

Locke then told police he drove Labarge and Simpson to an area behind Balfour Avenue in Claymont’s Knollwood community but claimed he had “no further involvement in anything after that,” McDerby said.

Yet data pulled from Locke's ankle bracelet, which he was required to wear as a condition of probation for a Maryland gun charge, showed he lied to detectives. It placed him close to where Goodson's burned body was ultimately found.

The GPS data is also how police located Goodson at the former EVRAZ Claymont Steel plant, also known as CitiSteel USA. Detectives who responded to the area after receiving the location data smelled gasoline and found “a large patch of scorched ground.” They also found a piece of burned clothing and two spent bullet casings, McDerby said.

Nearby, along the edge of the Delaware River, police spotted a piece of tarp sticking out from a pile of rocks. Under it, they found Goodson’s body, which McDerby said had been doused in gasoline and set ablaze.

The man's body was so badly burned that a medical examiner could only identify him based on prior surgeries.

Why kill Goodson?

Though the crime shook the Claymont community, it remains unclear exactly what led to such a brutal assault, killing and the desecration of Goodson's body.

Court documents detailing confessions from Labarge and Locke indicate the trio may not have meant to beat Goodson as brutally as did, especially given they later enlisted the help of a known drug user to check on the 56-year-old.

After the attack, the men left the auto shop and went to Knollwood, where they told the user they'd been in a fight with Goodson and they would give the man drugs if he went and checked on him, according to court documents.

It wasn't until the man reported back that Goodson was "alive but not well," and that he was making a "'snoring' sound," that the trio went back to Claymont Auto Repair and retrieved him. It's not known who made the decision to head to the old steel plant, though Locke told police he was the one driving.

COURT DOCS: A mother, a GPS anklet and a confession: How police ID'd suspects in Claymont killing

Labarge claimed it was Locke who shot Goodson, and Simpson who set his body on fire. Given that Locke pleaded to the gun charge while the other two did not, Labarge may have been telling the truth.

A longtime janitor for Joy Cleaners, Goodson was the youngest of six. Several of his siblings and other family attended Locke's court hearing last August. While family members declined to speak with the media, they said Goodson didn't deserve what happened to him.

It's unclear when the trio will be sentenced.

Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Claymont killing of janitor leads to all 3 charged pleading guilty