Robbery suspect could be going to jail for life

EVERETT — William Darrell Goddard has been racking up criminal convictions since the early 1990s, including 15 felonies and 40 misdemeanors.

The Marysville man has cycled in and out of prison and jail most of his adult life. Goddard, 39, could be going back for good if he is convicted of the latest allegations against him.

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged Goddard with first-degree robbery. That would be his third strike under the state’s persistent-offender law. If he’s convicted, he faces a mandatory life sentence without the chance of release.

Prosecutors allege that Goddard was part of violent robbery on Nov. 9 that left a man battered and bloodied.

Goddard and some associates went to the home of the Everett man, who was selling a guitar. It’s unclear if the meeting was a setup or if someone was serious about buying the guitar.

Witnesses said that as the man was making his sales pitch, Goddard suddenly clobbered him with a wooden cribbage board and a wrench. At the same time, Goddard allegedly yelled at a lady friend to grab the guitar. She ran outside with the instrument and jumped in a car. Meanwhile, the guitar owner was able to fight back against the attack, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Chris Dickinson wrote in charging papers.

He whacked Goddard in the head with a walking stick. That sent Goddard running for the exit. The man gave chase and caught up with the band of alleged thieves just as they were about to drive off. Someone in the group had a change of heart about stealing the guitar and handed it back to the owner.

Police officers noted that the man was bruised and cut from an apparent beating.

Goddard was found in Marysville and arrested. He allegedly admitted to being in a fight with the guitar owner. He denied taking part in a robbery.

Goddard was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.

“The defendant soon went to work making phone calls from the jail attempting to bribe and persuade witnesses not to testify, including the victim,” Dickinson wrote.

Inmates are advised repeatedly that calls from the jail are recorded.

Goddard reportedly acknowledged in some of the telephone calls that he is facing his third strike, court papers said.

“The defendant is correct,” Dickinson wrote.

Goddard earned his first strike in 1994 for a second-degree robbery conviction. He accumulated numerous other felony convictions in the years that followed. His second strike came in 2004. A Skagit County judge sentenced him to seven years in prison for second-degree assault. Goddard served about 4½ years, court papers say.

A couple of drug convictions landed him behind bars in 2011 and again last year.

A Snohomish County Superior Court judge on Wednesday signed an order holding Goddard on $500,000 bail for the robbery charge. He likely will be arraigned in coming days.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

The Washington State University Snohomish County Extension building at McCollum Park is located in an area Snohomish County is considering for the location of the Farm and Food Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Year-round indoor farmers market inches closer to reality near Mill Creek

The Snohomish County Farm and Food Center received $5 million in federal funding. The county hopes to begin building in 2026.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.