CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A man accused in a double murder on Charleston’s West Side pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Friday morning.
Marquis Goodman, 22, of Detroit, was indicted recently on two counts of first degree murder in the October 2021 deaths of Kytiana Belcher, 22, and Bria White, 26, both of Charleston.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard set Goodman’s trial for Aug. 16.
Belcher and White were shot to death Oct. 8, 2021. White’s body was found on Hunt Avenue. She had been shot multiple times. Belcher’s body was found a few hours later in between houses on Grant Street. She also suffered multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
A Charleston police detective testified during a January preliminary hearing that Goodman had previously confessed to the crimes. Goodman, according to the detective, had alleged White had set him up to be robbed so he shot her. He said Belcher was a witness so he shot her. Goodman’s attorney countered that his client was acting in self-defense.
Goodman was arrested in Detroit six days following the shootings. He’s now in the South Central Regional Jail without bail awaiting his trial.