NORFOLK, Va. — The Chesapeake woman charged in a deadly crash inside the Downtown Tunnel just before the new year was denied bond.
27-year-old Dominique Goodwin appeared in court Wednesday in a wheelchair and wearing a striped Norfolk City Jail jumpsuit. She suffered injuries in the Dec. 30 crash that killed Shelby "Lexus" Riddick-Walker.
Goodwin is currently facing charges of aggravated involuntary manslaughter after police say she drove the wrong way through the Downtown Tunnel, crashing into and killing Riddick-Walker.
In court Wednesday, it was discussed that doctors released Goodwin from the hospital on January 3, which is the same day investigators filed her arrest warrant.
Norfolk police said she turned herself in on January 22, after authorities spent weeks searching for her.
Goodwin's mother testified she didn't see her daughter after her hospital stay. She added she doesn't know where Goodwin lived before the crash and where she went after her hospital stay.
If released on bail, Goodwin's mother said in court she would let her daughter stay at her house, watch over her and take her to court and medical appointments.
Goodwin's attorney, S.W. Dawson, said his client wouldn't have any other reason to leave home, is immobile and doesn't have a car.
Dawson also told the judge Goodwin does not have a history of failure to appear.
The prosecuting attorney, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Melinda Seemar, mentioned Goodwin's prior convictions relating to felony child abuse and lying on a firearm form.
Furthermore, Seemar showed the judge traffic surveillance footage. It was not played to the court, but Seemar said the video showed Goodwin driving the wrong way from Portsmouth to Norfolk.
State troopers said Riddick-Walker was killed on impact. She is remembered as a beloved advocate of the local LGBTQ+ community.
"Justice, that's all we're looking for. Be fair, that's all," Marvin Riddick, the victim's uncle, told 13News Now outside the courthouse.
Seemar said in court there was a pint-sized empty bottle of tequila found on Goodwin's car floor, but it wasn't determined whether she was drinking it immediately before the crash.
Riddick-Walker's death devastated her family. "It hurts every night. You go to bed thinking about it," said Riddick. "It was a violent death. I don't care how you put it, it was a violent death."
Goodwin was three times over the legal blood alcohol content limit, court documents said.
Dawson acknowledged his client's alleged high BAC level but said Goodwin does not have an ongoing substance abuse problem.
The judge denied Goodwin bond this morning. Her family did not want to talk to the media after court.
Goodwin's preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 6.