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'The System FAILED': Man Accused Of Killing Girlfriend Months After Bonding Out Following Previous Attempted Murder Charge
Charles Goforth, 56, allegedly shot Sylvia Williams back in November, but was only in jail for a day before being released on $8,000 bond. Now he's accused of killing her.
An Indiana man is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, just three months he was released on bond after allegedly trying to kill the same woman in her home.
The shooting has caused some to question why he was able to post bond at all.
Sylvia Williams, 54, was found shot to death Thursday morning inside her Hammond home, the local police department said in a press release.
“Ms. Williams was the victim of a previous shooting at the same location in November of 2019,” police noted.
In the first shooting, Williams suffered a gunshot wound to her stomach and her leg but survived. The victim and her boyfriend Charles Anthony Goforth, 56, allegedly got embroiled in a “domestic argument,” according to a November police press release.
Goforth became irate after Williams demanded he leave her home after catching him video chatting with another woman, police said. Goforth allegedly responded by shooting her in front of her then-12-year-old granddaughter, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Following the first shooting, Goforth was arrested in Missouri and extradited back to Indiana on Nov. 25. While he was charged with attempted murder, he posted an $8,000 cash bond a day later.
This Friday, he was arrested again and this time he was charged with Williams’ murder, police said. The same day, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. blasted the justice system, and called the case “a very frustrating” one in a heated social media post.
“He was in jail ONE DAY before being allowed to bond out with an $8,000 bail,” he said. “Then, a few weeks later, he returned to the same house and killed his girlfriend. Same guy we caught already. Same victim in both cases. $8k bond for a violent felon. The only difference, he actually killed her the 2nd time.”
He went on to say, “The system FAILED the victim in this case. This violent felon should have NEVER been set free on bond in the first place.”
The mayor added, “These judges better get their heads on straight” or more residents “could also be in danger.”
A spokesperson for the Lake County Superior Court did not immediately return Oxygen.com’s return for comment. It was not immediately clear if Goforth had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
Investigators have expressed their condolences for the victim.
“The Hammond Police Department grieves for the family of Ms. Williams and carries a heavy heart as prosecution moves forward,” police said in one of their statements on the case.
