Evidence to prove Carrollton murderer’s guilt airs on national TV

by Sarah Blaskovich

CARROLLTON — You may remember Ernesto Reyes, the man accused of murdering 19-year-old Melanie Goodwin in Carrollton. If the name doesn't ring a bell, maybe this string of events will: Reyes was caught on tape in Denton talking to Goodwin at a gas station. He was caught on another gas station surveillance camera filling up a gas can that same night. And then, he was found on tape at TransTech, a Carrollton business at the 3200 block of Keller Springs, dragging a dead body out of Goodwin’s red two-door Saturn car and lighting it on fire. It was Goodwin's body, and she had been raped and strangled beforehand.

I know the story all too well, as I was reporting in Carrollton at the time. I went to the grassy area where her body was found and I spoke with her family personally. I was haunted by the idea that a young, smart woman could be victim to such a terrible story.

After police struggled to solve the murder, Reyes was arrested in Mexico in October 2007. He was extradited back to the U.S. in May 2008, and we didn't hear much about him since.

Today is that day. The evidence that later found Reyes guilty from circumstantial evidence will be aired on ABC's "Primetime: Crime" tonight (July 8) at 9 p.m. CT. According to the network's cliff-hanger synopsis, defense attorneys argued that the 90 minutes between when Reyes followed her out of the store and when she was lit on fire could have rendered him not guilty. But in three hours, the jury agreed that Reyes was guilty of capital murder.

Amazingly, Reyes is appealing the decision and still hasn't admitted or apologized.

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