A suspect in the March 2022 murder of his sister-in-law at Eunice has been declared incompetent to stand trial by a circuit judge.
Joshua Goodchild, 45, is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon, all felonies.
Following a mental evaluation and testimony, Circuit Judge William Hickle declared that Goodchild would not currently stand trial. He remains in the Texas County Jail. Texas County Prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. filed a motion, if granted, that would commit Goodchild to the Missouri Department of Mental Health and work toward gaining competency. That is a six-month period to determine if competency can be gained, and he can stand trial.
There are 260 people currently in Missouri jails deemed unfit to stand trial and ordered into mental health treatment. State officials are working to develop plans for a “jail-based competency restoration” program approved by the legislature this year.
Goodchild, 44, is charged with the death of Nikki Goodchild, 31, at her home at Eunice.
She was found in the living room floor just inside the doorway with bullet wounds to her head, chest and right shoulder. One 45-caliber projectile was found on a chair.
The next day, law enforcement served a search warrant at Joshua Goodchild’s home, where he lived in an RV.
Several weapons and boxes of ammunition were seized at the home, along with .45-caliber colt bullets — Hornady Frontier Cartridges Cowboy Action Load — similar to that found at the murder scene. On social media, videos show Goodchild shooting weapons, including a .45-caliber colt revolver.
Authorities said Joshua Goodchild had become estranged from his family and had an encounter with the victim about two weeks before the crime.
Goodchild is represented by a public defender from St. Louis.