Litchfield police arrest Kentucky robbery suspect

Litchfield police said Friday they arrested a Paducah, Ky., man as part
of an October robbery and murder in Kentucky.

Eddie Joe Goodnight was one of two men wanted as part of the
investigation. The Hopkins County (Ky.) Sheriff’s Department said
Goodnight, the nephew of one of people killed, has been charged with
first degree robbery.

Dustin McKinney, who also was wanted as part of the investigation, was
arrested in Graves County, Ky., and is charged with two counts of murder
and first-degree robbery, Hopkins County Sheriff Frank Lathan said.

Meeker County Sheriff’s Office was alerted recently that Goodnight —
wanted in connection with other criminal activity in Colorado and
Florida — might be in the area. That notice also was passed on to
Litchfield police.

Litchfield Police Chief Patrick Fank arrested Goodnight on the morning
of Nov. 16 while the suspect was riding a bicycle on a city street.

“That stuff doesn’t normally happen in a city like Litchfield,” Fank
said of the arrest, which came after police officers were “sitting on a
couple of houses” they thought Goodnight might frequent.

At the time of the arrest, Fank said, police did not know of Goodnight’s
connection to the Kentucky deaths, only that he was wanted on
outstanding warrants in Colorado and Florida.

“We weren’t aware of his involvement in a murder investigation,” Fank
said. “We knew he was wanted by other states and a person of interest in
an investigation.”

In a news release Friday, the Hopkins County Sheriffs’ Department
confirmed Goodnight’s arrest in Meeker County after what it said had
been more than “400 hours of active, ongoing investigation by multiple
law enforcement agencies.”

The bodies of Lynn and Mary Moore were found Oct. 30 in a mobile home
just outside of Dawson Springs, Ky. Lynn Moore, 54, died from a gunshot
wound, and Mary Moore, 55, died of “various multiple injuries ... not
involving a gunshot,” according to the Hopkins County coroner.

Authorities originally suspected the incident was a murder-suicide,
based upon interviews with family members. However, further
investigation pointed to a murder-robbery, according to Sheriff Latham.

Goodnight is the nephew of Mary Moore, investigators said. He is being
held in the Meeker County Jail and is expected to be extradited to Kentucky.

Fank said he did not know how long Goodnight has been in Litchfield or
specifically what he has been doing while here, although he mentioned
that Goodnight might have been doing odd jobs for Litchfield residents.

The police chief urged anyone who might have had contact with Goodnight
to contact the Litchfield Police Department at 320-693-5425.

“Just because they’re in custody, the investigation doesn’t end,” Fank
said. “We’re attempting to locate individuals who had contact with
(Goodnight).”