Donovan Young
Donovan Young was arrested for tampering with evidence in the murder of University of North Texas student Melanie Goodwin on September 24, 2007. Police believe Young's acquaintance Ernesto Reyes confessed his crime, and that Young then provided him with resources to dispose of the body.
Fast Facts
- Age: 19
- Charge: Tampering with evidence
- Arrested: September 27, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
- Young claimed he saw Reyes with Goodwin's corpse
The Crime
In September, 2007, Melanie Goodwin's burned body was found in Carrollton, Texas. Investigators determined that she had been killed by blunt force trauma before she was set on fire. Surveillance camera footage showed a man dragging Goodwin's body out of the car and setting it on fire. Ernesto Reyes was seen talking to Goodwin the night of the murder; he allegedly asked her for a ride at a convenience store. According to reports, Goodwin did not know Reyes. Donovan Young, a friend of Reyes, reported that Reyes had come to Young's apartment with blood on his shirt, telling Young he'd killed Goodwin. Reyes said he didn't mean to kill Goodwin and asked for help. Young gave him a gas can and money, and helped him hide Goodwin's car. Young reportedly saw Goodwin's corpse in the back seat of her red Saturn. Young was jailed, on suspicion of tampering with evidence. Reyes fled to Mexico, and United States marshals arrested him north of Mexico City. He was kept in a Mexican prison for five months while the nation negotiated terms of his extradition; they would only release him to the United States if he would not be executed. The U.S. Department of Justice agreed. He was extradited back to Texas in May, 2008.
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