A 50-year-old man from South Carolina will spend the rest of his life in prison for a horrifying crime. Michael Eugene Goode was convicted of using a machete to brutally kill another man who had just done him a kind favor. The victim, 66-year-old Rodney Watson Sr., had stopped to help Goode in the middle of the night when he was stranded. But what started as a good deed ended in tragedy.
The murder happened in July 2020, outside a mobile home on Horton Road in Burton, South Carolina. According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at the scene around 2:20 a.m. on July 8, 2020, after getting reports of a disturbance. When they arrived, they found Goode swinging a machete towards the ground. Deputies ordered him to drop the weapon, and he did—but then he ran off.
On the ground, deputies discovered Rodney Watson suffering from multiple stab wounds. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, but sadly, he couldn’t be saved. Doctors pronounced him dead shortly after.
Witnesses at the scene quickly identified Goode as the attacker. Just hours later, he returned to the area and was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant. Eventually, he was charged with first-degree murder.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed the disturbing details of what happened. Rodney Watson, a Georgia resident, was visiting South Carolina and driving to the store with his niece when they saw Goode, someone the niece knew by the nickname “Slick.” Seeing him stranded, they decided to offer him a ride. But when they arrived at the mobile home on Horton Road, Goode suddenly turned violent, attacking Watson’s niece.
Watson tried to protect her, but that’s when Goode turned on him with the machete. According to a forensic pathologist, Watson was stabbed at least six times, mostly in the back. The fatal wound came when Goode severed an artery in Watson’s arm. The evidence against Goode was overwhelming—his DNA was found on the machete, and Watson’s blood was on his clothes.
Goode initially tried to give police an alibi, but during the trial, he admitted to the killing, claiming he acted out of fear. However, prosecutors described his actions as cruel and senseless.
Jared Shedd, from the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who handled the case, said, “The victim in this case was simply trying to help someone who looked to be in distress, but instead was met with senseless brutality. This defendant behaved unconscionably, and both the verdict and sentence are just.”
Goode’s violent past didn’t help his case. Prosecutors shared that his criminal record, dating back to 1994, included charges for distributing crack, assault, and domestic violence.
As for Rodney Watson, his family and community are mourning the loss of a man they described as kind and selfless. Watson served in the U.S. Air Force and later worked at a submarine maintenance facility on the Kings Bay Naval Base. He was a proud father of three and a grandfather to eight.
In his obituary, Watson was remembered as “a goofy, funny, gun-toting true American with a kind heart and gentle soul.” He was known for always being there for his loved ones and doing whatever he could to help them.
This tragic story is a heartbreaking reminder of how acts of kindness can sometimes have devastating consequences.
