D.A. Alleges Confession in Thompson Case

A former business partner of Mickey Thompson told two confidants that he was involved in the 1988 execution-style slayings of the legendary racing promoter and his wife, authorities allege in an affidavit obtained by The Times.

In the early 1990s, Michael Goodwin made incriminating statements to a friend as they lounged together while watching a “reality” crime show on television that reenacted the killings of Thompson and his wife, Trudy, the affidavit said.

Additionally, Goodwin’s ex-wife, Seidel, told investigators that her husband admitted a role in the slayings--a statement she later denied making when they asked her to testify in court, the document said.

The alleged confessions are at the center of the prosecutors’ case against Goodwin, who stands accused of hiring two hit men to gun down the Thompsons as they left their San Gabriel Valley mansion. Orange County is prosecuting the case because that’s where the plot was allegedly hatched.

On Monday, Goodwin, 56, stood inside a wire mesh cage in a Santa Ana courtroom as his lawyer entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. Attorney Jeff Benice urged the court to allow Goodwin to leave jail on house arrest.

“Since the murders occurred, he has cooperated fully,” Benice told Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary S. Paer. “He needs to take care of his 88-year-old father.”

But the judge denied bail requests, and Goodwin smiled and gave a quick salute to spectators as he was led away.

Outside the courtroom, friends and family of the Thompsons held an impromptu press conference. Just a few feet away, Goodwin’s attorney, flanked by a publicist, held his own.

Bob Muravez, a friend of Mickey Thompson, told reporters that the racing star complained three days before he died that Goodwin had threatened his life. Thompson had recently won a court judgment against his former partner.

“Mike Goodwin called him up and said, ‘You’ll never live to collect the money,’ ” Muravez said.

“Baloney!” Benice retorted a few feet away. “[Goodwin] has lived under this cloud for 13 years. His life has been destroyed. . . . This is going to bring it to an end, a successful end.”

Goodwin has long maintained his innocence in the killings, which went unsolved for nearly 14 years. Authorities filed charges this month.

Goodwin and his attorney have accused investigators of orchestrating a witch hunt against him. The Orange County district attorney’s office, they contend, filed charges under political pressure from Thompson’s family--a charge prosecutors deny.

Thompson was the first American to break the 400-mph land speed mark.

He and his wife were gunned down in Bradbury by two masked men who have never been identified. The killers left nearly $70,000 in jewelry and $4,000 in cash that the Thompsons had on them.

Almost from the day of the shootings, the bad blood between Thompson and Goodwin drew detectives’ attention. Goodwin faces two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

Though their case remains circumstantial, prosecutors have insisted that there is compelling evidence linking Goodwin to the murder-for-hire plot.

In the police affidavit, investigators allege Goodwin and his then-wife “funneled several hundred thousand dollars” in cash and gold coins to an offshore account in the Caribbean just weeks before the slayings. Months later, authorities allege, the Goodwins set sail to live on a yacht in the Caribbean.

The couple returned to the United States and separated in the early 1990s. Soon afterward, Goodwin and a friend watched a television show about the Thompson killings, according to the affidavit.

During the show, Goodwin made undisclosed statements to the friend that implied he was involved in the killings, the document said. The friend “had no doubt that [Goodwin] was claiming to be responsible for the murders,” the affidavit said.

In 1997, Goodwin’s ex-wife told investigators of a similar admission--one that she doubted at the time because “he used to lie quite often to her,” the affidavit said.

But several years later, Seidel Goodwin denied ever making the statement to detectives and refused to talk to them again, the document said.