NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Nine days after she turned herself in to police, the woman accused of driving the wrong way into the Downtown Tunnel, causing an accident that left one dead, was denied bond in a Norfolk courtroom.
Dominique Goodwin, 27, is facing one count aggravated manslaughter in the death of 43-year-old Shelby “Lexus” Riddick-Walker of Portsmouth. The crash occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on Dec. 30.
She appeared in court Wednesday morning in a wheelchair and did not testify.
Goodwin’s mother, who testified in favor of bond, told the court that Goodwin had suffered injuries requiring medical attention to her ankles and wrists. The prosecutor disputed that, however, saying that a check of her medical records only showed a hip surgery related to the accident.
Goodwin’s defense attorney asked the court to allow her to recover while awaiting trial in the care of her mother, who lives in Chesapeake. Goodwin’s two children were already staying with her.
Goodwin’s mother said her daughter had lived with her on-and-off for the last few years. When questioned, she could not account for where Goodwin had been in the space between leaving the hospital on Jan. 3 and eventually turning herself in to police on Jan. 21.
A bail determination sheet filed before the hearing made note that her blood was approximately three times over the legal limit of alcohol and she had failed “to turn self in despite the publicity of this case.”
Video of Goodwin apparently driving the wrong way through the tunnel was played in court, though only for the judge, after her defense attorney objected to it being viewed or published by members of the media.
The prosecutor explained that Goodwin entered the westbound side of the Downtown Tunnel traveling East. She said Goodwin traveled past two bars of big X signs, alerting her that she was traveling the wrong direction into the tunnel.
The prosecutor also said that a pint-sized bottle of tequila was located on the floor of Goodwin’s car, though there wasn’t evidence she had been drinking it.
Arguing against bond, the prosecutor also noted that Goodwin is a level-II offender due to a 2020 conviction for felony child abuse. She was sentenced to two active years for that crime and was released in January of 2022.
Goodwin also has a 2020 felony conviction for lying on a criminal history consent form.
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