New charges were filed against a woman accused in connection with the killings of her sister and her sister's family in their rural mobile home.
Based on interviews with another suspect, state police withdrew charges filed Jan. 16 against Heather Goedicke and filed additional charges Friday in the Armstrong County Courthouse before District Justice Michael Gerheim.
Goedicke, 23, was initially charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the Jan. 12 deaths of her sister, Rhonda Walters, her sister's husband, David Walters, and their 19-month-old daughter, Destini.
Police based those charges on Goedicke's confession that she drove David Barnhart to the mobile home, where he shot Rhonda and David Walters to death and shot and stabbed the child. Barnhart shot himself to death and his car exploded as police were pursuing him Jan. 16.
On Friday, police added charges of solicitation and complicity to commit murder against Goedicke for allegedly agreeing with Barnhart to plan and commit the murders. According to court documents, she also urged Barnhart to carry out the murders.
The third suspect, Eugene Harris, told police he was the one who drove Barnhart to the mobile home. District Attorney Scott Andreassi said he amended the charges based on Harris' statements describing how Barnhart arrived near the murder scene.
According to court documents, Harris was told by Barnhart that Goedicke had been raped by David Walters and that Barnhart would shoot Walters and blow up his home.
Outside the courtroom, Goedicke told reporters she wasn't in the trailer at the time of the murders.
"I don't even know who Harris is," she said as she was led out of the hearing.
"[Goedicke] was not the individual that drove him there, but we do believe she was involved in the discussions prior to planning the event," Andreassi said. "The statements she made to Barnhart are part, if not the reason, he did what he did to this family. The only connection Barnhart has to the Walters family is through Heather Goedicke."
Goedicke remains in jail on $750,000 bond. A hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
