Suspect in Killing of Mickey Thompson to Face Grand Jury

Thirteen years after racing legend Mickey Thompson and his wife were gunned down outside their San Gabriel Valley mansion, the Orange County Grand Jury is set to hear testimony from the man detectives have long named as their leading suspect in the alleged murder-for-hire case.

Michael F. Goodwin, who maintains he had nothing to do with the 1988 slaying of his former business partner, said through a spokesman Monday he has received a subpoena to appear before the panel sometime next month. His former wife is scheduled to testify Wednesday, said the spokesman, Michael Nason.

The death of the Thompsons in the exclusive community of Bradbury has been an enduring whodunit, with investigators both in Los Angeles and Orange counties chasing more than 1,000 clues and leads--most of them going nowhere.

Despite publicly labeling Goodwin, 56, a prime suspect, detectives have never found enough evidence to arrest him in connection with the killings. In recent years, Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators said their probe gained momentum with the discovery of DNA evidence, though they declined to elaborate.

But Nason said the case has languished for more than a decade because law enforcement officials have insisted on focusing almost entirely on Goodwin, despite a lack of compelling evidence against him. Nason called the launch of a grand jury investigation a “witch hunt” against Goodwin, who, he said, is furious that investigators have never followed up on his suspicions in the case.

Authorities would not comment Monday on the status of the probe or provide details about their case to the grand jury, which has the power to hand up indictments for murder and other crimes. But detectives have for years openly speculated that the Thompson slayings were the work of professional killers and most likely motivated by a grudge.

Thompson, the first American to break the 400-mph land speed mark, was a dominant force in off-road racing promotions when he and his wife, Trudy, were slain in the driveway of their walled estate as they left for work. Witnesses told police they saw two men flee on 10-speed bicycles. The men didn’t take anything from the house or from the couple, who had nearly $70,000 in jewelry and $4,000 cash on them.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on Goodwin. He and Thompson had bitterly parted ways in 1985, with Goodwin losing a $531,000 legal battle after a judge ruled that he had misappropriated Thompson’s investments in various joint business dealings. Goodwin filed for bankruptcy soon afterward.

Goodwin lived in Laguna Beach at the time of the killings but left town two weeks later to live on a yacht in the Caribbean. Nason said Goodwin now lives in South County, but he wouldn’t say which city.

The Thompson slayings have been much publicized. Thompson’s sister, Collene Campbell--a victims rights activist and former San Juan Capistrano mayor--put up a $1-million reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers. Two years ago, Orange County prosecutors announced that they had been asked to help Los Angeles County detectives with the case because many of the clues had led them to Orange County.

Nason said Goodwin knew for about a year that authorities were re-interviewing possible witnesses in the case. Still, he said, Goodwin was shocked two weeks ago when a Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective assigned to the case served him a grand jury subpoena.

“We are going to fight any criminal indictment against Mike Goodwin,” Nason said.