Sep 28, 2007 6:55 pm US/Central
Accomplice Details Carrollton Murder Cover-Up
Funeral Services Saturday For UNT Student
by Bud Gillett
CARROLLTON (CBS 11 News) ―
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Donovan R. Young is in custody for tampering with evidence in the Melanie Goodwin murder case.
CBS 11 News
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Police have issued a capital murder arrest warrant and are still looking for 20-year-old Ernesto Reyes.
Carrollton Police Dept.
CBS 11 News is learning more about the death of a University of North Texas student.
Funeral services for Melanie Goodwin are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Arlington. Her body was found burned in a Carrollton field on Tuesday.
Police interviewed and arrested Donovan Young, and continue their search for second suspect Ernesto Reyes.
When Carrollton police interviewed Young he said Goodwin's death was an accident.
Friday afternoon Young was transferred from Carrollton to the Dallas County Jail. The 19-year-old is accused of tampering with evidence related to Goodwin's slaying.
According to an affidavit Young told authorities he saw the body of a young woman in the backseat of Goodwin's car, but the vehicle was driven by his friend, suspect Ernesto Reyes. Young claims the young woman's eyes were open and that the side of her face was fine, but that she looked obviously dead.
The document went on to say that Reyes, who had on a bloody shirt, told Young, "He needed help. He killed someone. Didn't mean to and needed to get rid of her body."
Goodwin family spokesman Matthew Bobo told CBS 11 News the circumstances surrounding Melanie's death are horrific and they're trying to limit the information that reaches those who knew the college sophomore. "The specific details, of the brutality of this, that's being kept from the immediate family," he said.
The events described in the affidavit allegedly took place at the apartment Young shares with his girlfriend.
Young says he gave Reyes a gas can, money for fuel, and later helped to abandon the car his friend had been driving.
While police say they have no doubt Young played a part in the murder case, they don't believe he is responsible for Goodwin's death. "We don't in any way believe, at this point, that he was actively involved in the murder itself, but he did take part in helping the suspect dispose of the body," said Sgt. John Singleton, Carrollton Police Department.
Reyes remains at large and may have even fled to Mexico. Despite being wanted for murder he reportedly is communicating to his myspace.com account. The page, which among other things contains sexual photos, was last updated on September 27, 2007.
Bond for Young's evidence tampering charge is set at $125,000.
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