White supremacist Jacob Scott Goodwin of Ward, Arkansas, will finally face his reckoning after being one of several white men who brutally attacked DeAndre Harris during the violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
According to the Associated Press, Goodwin was found guilty of malicious wounding on Tuesday, May 1, for his part in the attack of 20-year-old Harris during the Unite the Right rally in August. The jury, which was made up of nine women and three men, recommended a sentence of ten years, with the option of suspending some of the time and a $20,000 fine.
I need to introduce you to somebody. He's a Neo-Nazi white supremacist.
His name is Jacob Scott Goodwin, age 22, of Ward, Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/MoAd4XE63u
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 25, 2017
The attack on Harris was so vicious that he suffered a spinal injury, a broken arm and head lacerations that required eight staples. However, despite the many injuries Goodwin took part in inflicting on Harris, who was a peaceful counterprotester of the rally, he is claiming self-defense.
“I thought he was a hostile . . . to be honest, I was terrified,” Goodwin said, adding that he believed “I’d probably perish or be sent to the hospital and be terribly hurt.”
The Washington Post reports the attack began when the North Carolina state chairman of the white-nationalist group League of the South, Harold Crews, was seen spearing one of Harris' counterparts in the stomach with a flagpole. From there, Harris swung a flashlight to knock the flagpole out of his hands, hitting Crews in the head in the process.
Goodwin told the jury he’d seen Harris assault Crews and then saw Harris charging toward him. Therefore, he engaged in his definition of self-defense.
“I was trying to neutralize a threat,” Goodwin said.
Although three other men were also arrested in this case, Goodwin said he didn't know other men were beating Harris, according to NBC 29. Video of the incident shows the group beating would have been awfully hard to miss.
“[Harris] Came running at me from right side, and fell down or tripped for some reason. So when he tried to get back up I kicked him because he was previously running towards me,” he explained. “I thought it was just me and Mr. DeAndre [sic].”
The jury reportedly looked at three factors to reach a verdict: whether Goodwin caused bodily injury, if it was done with malice and if it was done with the intent to kill, harm or disfigure Harris.
Ultimately, Goodwin's weak self-defense argument did not stand. He is set to face sentencing August 23.
