New York Woman On Trial For 2007 Delco Murder

SHARON HILL, PA — A woman charged in connection with a more than 10-year-old stabbing and beating death in Delaware County is on trial for murder and related charges, according to court records.

Izena Goudy, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, is now standing trial on first and third-degree murder, criminal homicide, and possessing instruments of crime.

The charges were filed in connection with the death of 45-year-old Gary Jenkins of Sharon Hill, in May 2007.

Goudy's trial began May 28, according to court records. As of the afternoon on Thursday, May 30, she is still facing a jury on those charges.

The Delaware County District Attorney's office said DNA evidence linked her to Jenkins' death and arrested Goudy in September 2017.

At about 12:36 p.m. on May 7, 2007, the Sharon Hill Police Department was dispatched to 128 Reese St. to check on the well-being of the home owner, the DA's office said.

Officer Michael Attix entered the home and found a body on the second floor hallway wrapped in a blanket, with blood splatter throughout the hallway, according to the DA's office.

The victim was identified as Jenkins, who had been beaten and stabbed to death, the DA's office said.

From the scene, detectives collected 14 blood swabs from areas throughout the home, which were transported as evidence to the lab for DNA analysis and subsequently entered into the FBI national DNA identification index system, according to the DA's office.

Then, Goudy was arrested in Kings County, New York, on Jan. 1, 2014 for felony assault charges, the DA's office said. She pleaded guilty and submitted her DNA to the state of New York which was then entered into DNA index, according to the DA's office.

In May 2015, detectives of a possible DNA match linking Goudy to Jenkins' murder, the DA's office said.

The lab report is considered preliminary and was used to obtain a search warrant for a sample and cheek swab from the individual. No scientific comparison can be made without submission of the referenced sample.

Then in September 2015, Sgt. William Wright and former Detective Richard Herron of the Sharon Hill Police Department traveled to Brooklyn, New York to collect a DNA cheek swab on Goudy, the DA's office said.

While detectives were collecting the sample, Goudy told them that she knew Jenkins and that she used to go to his home with her girlfriend and her girlfriend's mother who was dating and living with Jenkins at the time, the DA's office said. Detectives spoke with Goudy's girlfriend who confirmed that they would visit Jenkins' home often, according to the DA's office.

As the result of a positive match of the DNA from the crime scene and the cheek swab, detectives issued a warrant for Goudy's arrest, the DA's office said.