Dorchester Co. deputies make arrest in 1998 murder case

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Authorities in Dorchester County announced Tuesday they have made an arrest in a murder case dating back nearly 24 years ago.

Dorchester County Sheriff LC Knight held a press conference where he announced an arrest in the 1998 killing of 42-year-old Stephanie Thompson.

An investigation began just before Christmas of 1998 when the body of a mother, Thompson, was found by a hunter off Franchise Street in North Charleston.

According to the sheriff’s office, Thompson was seen the night before with a male by a witness. During her interview with deputies, they said she was able to provide information to complete a composite sketch of the suspect.

A DNA match was flagged in December of last year, through a national database, connecting the murder to Charles Edward Goodwin Jr. The sheriff’s office told News 2 at the time they had new evidence but could not reveal what it was.

Sheriff Knight said his investigators had previously interviewed Goodwin and believed he had also sexually assaulted Thompson.

His DNA was collected a few years ago following a DUI arrest. But the match with DNA collected at the original homicide only hit the system in December 2021.

Goodwin was arrested in Greenville on Monday.

Investigators said when they told him he was being charged with murder, he simply responded by saying “Okay.”

Sheriff Knight said it is good to be able to make an arrest in a case this old.

“It makes us feel good,” he said. “I mean, no doubt about it, we’re here to serve the people and we hope this shows them that we are constantly trying to give them good service.”

Following Tuesday’s press conference, News 2 asked Sheriff Knight if there may be any other suspects involved in the case. He told us they are still investigating to learn more about what exactly happened.