‘Baseline Killer’ Sentenced to Death in Arizona


47-year-old Mark Goudeau, dubbed the ‘Baseline Killer’ in Phoenix, has been sentenced to death for his convictions by a jury.

The crimes committed by Baseline Killer Goudeau struck fear into the Phoenix metro area from the summer of 2005 until the summer of 2006. By the time Goudeau was stopped, nine people had died and more than a dozen had been sexually assaulted during the spree. Initially, Godreau had been sentenced to nearly 500 years in prison for his crimes- during which prosecutors say victims were subjected to agonizing over whether they would live or die- before he became eligible for the death penalty. Two weeks ago, Godreau prohibited his lawyers from further handling the case after they suggested to a jury that impotence and insecurity drove him to sexually assault and kill eight women and a man. Instead, Godreau himself addressed the jury, denying his role in the murders and saying that he hoped the “truth” about the crimes would come out:

“I am no monster… I could look in each and every one of your eyes today and tell you Mark Goudeau is no wolf in sheep’s clothing … I do pray that one day you guys learn the truth about this case.”

Prosecutor Patricia Stevens argued that Godreau was, in fact, a monster, and that the pain and anguish of his victims in part drove him to commit the Baseline Killer crimes. Stevens said:

“He enjoyed the power and dominion he exercised over these victims. He enjoyed the threats of force, the threats of death.”

Stevens noted that Godreau had not apologized to any of the victims families. He was sentenced to death for each murder conviction in the case.

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