Robert Goodwin convicted of murdering pal Shane Thompson days after being let out of jail

A man has been convicted of murdering his friend in a frenzied knife attack after the pair spent the day working together.

Builder Robert Goodwin, 32, of West Heath, Birmingham, was found guilty today (Wednesday, February 8) of the murder of 32-year-old Shane Thompson following a trial that lasted two weeks.

Shane Thompson suffered multiple stab wounds when he was fatally stabbed by Robert Goodwin at a house in Bartley Green during the evening of 4 December 2021 - just days after he had been let out of prison.

The court heard that both men had spent the day together at work before heading to the pub after work and then the home of Mr Thompson’s girlfriend.

At some point during the evening, Goodwin mercilessly attacked Mr Thompson who fled and ran up the stairs to escape him. However, Goodwin chased him with a knife, stabbing him in the back, chest, and abdomen before fleeing the scene in Mr Thompson’s car, leaving him dying on the bed.

Mr Thompson’s body was discovered by his girlfriend who returned home later that evening to find him collapsed on her bed in a pool of blood.

Robert Goodwin was seen some hours later in a dishevelled, injured state by a member of the public and an off-duty police officer took him to hospital and alerted the police. Goodwin admitted killing Shane Thompson but denied murder and the CPS proceeded to trial.

Emily Clewerof the CPS said: “Shane Thompson’s life was tragically cut short by someone he trusted and who betrayed that trust in the worst possible way. Robert Goodwin had just been released from prison just days before the murder and Mr Thompson offered him a source of employment, and this kindness ended up costing him Mr Thompson his life.

“While we may never know the motive behind this needless crime, I welcome today’s guilty verdict which will ensure that a dangerous man is held accountable for his crime. I know that no outcome can replace the terrible loss that Mr Thompson’s family have suffered but I hope it brings them a small measure of comfort that that justice has been served.”

Goodwin will be sentenced on 4 April 2023.