Paragraphs 16 & 17 read: “Sandra Goodrich confirmed
that her son had been brought to a psychiatric hospital and that he recently was injected with the antidepressant Trazodone
[Desyrel], which is used to treat depression and anxiety disorders.”
Perley Goodrich Jr. didn’t want to take the
medication, Sandra said, saying that ‘it’s dangerous’
and made him feel ‘violent.‘ Still, Sandra said the medication
could not have been what apparently drove her son over the edge.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/7042860.html
Newport: Sandra Goodrich stood outside her home on Rutland Road on Friday
afternoon, surrounded by her daughter and two good friends who traveled more
than 1,000 miles to be with her.
They talked. They hugged. They laughed.
Considering what had happened inside her house Monday night — as
evidenced by the large bruise on her chin and neck — Goodrich’s mood might seem
surprising. The moments of lightness and fellowship are, and will be, fleeting,
she admits. Goodrich doesn’t know what to do now except live her life, one day
at a time.
“I’m going to do everything I can to get better,” she said in
an interview. “Physically, I’ll bounce back; but emotionally, it will take a
while.”
It only took a few minutes Monday night for the life she knew to
unravel.
Her 45-year-old son, Perley Goodrich Jr., is accused of
severely beating her with his fists and a handgun, then shooting his father,
Perley Goodrich Sr., killing him.
Sandra said she’s grateful for the aid
of many people: for her husband, especially, who “saved my life.”
After
Perley Jr. suddenly began attacking her and trying to bind her hands with duct
tape, Perley Sr. opened the bedroom door and drew his son toward him instead.
Perley Jr. then went into the bedroom and fatally shot his father, police say.
“He would have killed us both,” Sandra Goodrich said.
Sandra
fled to a neighbor’s house and they called police, setting off a three-day
manhunt for Perley Goodrich Jr. that ended early Friday morning.
As she
reflected Friday on what happened, Sandra Goodrich couldn’t yet make sense of
why her son would suddenly snap.
But the seeds were there, she said:
“It’s been going on for years.”
The younger Goodrich, Sandra said,
suffers from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, a
psychiatric diagnosis that typically involves drastic mood swings.
According to a police affidavit that outlines the charges against Perley
Goodrich Jr., Sandra “did not mention what had triggered the incident” but said
her son “was crazy and that she had taken him to the hospital three times this
week and that they had given him a new medication.”
They had recently
discussed bringing him to Acadia Hospital of Bangor, which specializes in mental
health treatment, according to the affidavit.
Sandra Goodrich confirmed
that her son had been brought to a psychiatric hospital and that he recently was
injected with the antidepressant Trazodone, which is used to treat depression
and anxiety disorders.
Perley Goodrich Jr. didn’t want to take the
medication, Sandra said, saying that “it’s dangerous” and made him feel
“violent.” Still, Sandra said the medication could not have been what apparently
drove her son over the edge.
“It’s been a long, sad story for many
years,” Sandra Goodrich said. “I told (Perley Jr.) he was dangerous and he would
hurt somebody.”
According to court records, Perley Jr. was convicted on
a charge of criminal mischief in 2001; police at the time said he had threatened
his brother, Kenneth, with a large knife.
Sandra Goodrich said she is
perhaps most sad that the deadly incident might have been avoided.
She’s
grateful for everyone involved — police who responded and searched, neighbors,
family, friends for their support, the town of Newport, and her employer,
Wal-Mart, for giving her time off to recuperate.
Sandra and her family
and friends said they want to plan a public vigil for Perley Sr., for which
details haven’t been set.
Scott Monroe — 861-9253
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