Accused testifies as Regina murder trial enters 3rd week
Wearing a grey shirt and tie, Kevin Goforth took the stand in his own defence Monday, telling the court, “I loved those girls more than anything in the world”.
Kevin and his wife, Tammy, are both on trial for the murder of a four-year-old girl and abuse of a two-year-old girl who were both in their care in 2012.
The courtroom was not as packed Monday as it was to hear Tammy’s testimony on Friday, but he told much the same story.
Married for 23 years, Kevin, now 40, said his his day-to-day life as a carpenter was “busy”, and Tammy did most of the caring for the girls. The couple made a decision, out of respect for the girls and their privacy, that he and his three children would not see the girls undressed. Tammy did all bathing and diaper changes.
Kevin told the court the girls were quiet at first, came to church with them and “were slender with high cheekbones”.
Court has previously heard that the Goforths were given no medical records, nor health cards, for the girls. Up until his preliminary hearing, Kevin had never met the social worker involved in the case, Alicia Ward, nor had any contact with her in person, on the telephone or via email.
Describing when the two-year-old cut her face, Kevin testified it was strange.
“I felt her pain. She was just sitting there, not crying.”
Being methodical in his answers, Kevin testified that he didn’t think the girls shared their toys well, knew few words and occasionally would fight.
Softly crying, he described the night the girls went to hospital.
“My mind was all over the place. My emotions running high, I was freaking out, screaming for help.”
He testified they drove fast to the hospital. Tammy drove, the four-year-old was “limp in my arms, while I whispered her name”.
Wearing just swimming trunks, Kevin was taken to Regina Police Service headquarters where he was questioned for about two days.
He describes himself as being, “scared, crying, upset, lonely, cold, state of shock, I didn’t give clear answers, they put words in my mouth”.
Pushed by his lawyer, Kevin said that he didn’t tell the police the truth, but told court, “I am telling the truth now”.
Shown physical evidence and photos of the girls’ injuries, Kevin did not recognize nor knew where some of the bruising and marks came from.
When asked, he emphatically denied restraining the girls, hurting them or taping them to the wall. He denied that Tammy did anything similar.
Kevin told court that in the two weeks prior to the girls being in hospital, the girls and Tammy were “sickly with high fevers”.