Family, friends gather outside Bannock courthouse with signs pleading for support
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POCATELLO — “Poisoning is a crime.” “Justice for Jared.” “Save my grandchildren.”
Those were just some of the signs Jared Goody’s friends and family waved Tuesday morning in front of the Bannock County Courthouse. Jared’s ex-wife, Courtney Goody, is scheduled to change her plea and be sentenced for a misdemeanor battery charge in a hearing before Magistrate Judge Aaron Thompson Wednesday morning.
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Bryon Goody, Jared’s father, told EastIdahoNews.com he has been contacted by people both known and unknown to his family, offering support as the family navigates through criminal and civil litigation.
“We’re grateful for the community reaching out to us,” he said. “Our family’s going through a lot. … I’m not sure any of us have slept all week long. Jared is — he’s really, really worried, he’s struggling right now.”
Jared was extremely sick for approximately six months before a lab test showed that he had been poisoned. After “putting together pieces,” Jared’s family suspected his then-wife was poisoning him with cattle vaccine containing selenium and thallium.
It took several attempts before the family could convince the Chubbuck Police Department to open an investigation into Courtney, they told EastIdahoNews.com. Then it took a month before Courtney was arrested.
When she finally was arrested, she was charged with a felony for poisoning Jared. But that charge was dismissed during a preliminary hearing. She was later charged with two misdemeanor battery charges, before accepting a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Courtney’s attorney, Curtis Smith, has declined to comment on the case, citing current legal proceedings.
Bryon said the Goody family has received support over the past week and friends, family and others have expressed interest in attending Wednesday’s hearing — some from out of state.
Bryon has also received a call from the court. He was told that due to the size of the courtroom where the hearing will be held, it is unlikely everyone who plans to attend will be able to fit into the courtroom.
Among the people planning to attend is Dani Sellers, a high school friend of Jared’s sister Amber Hansen, who now lives in Arizona.
Sellers said she saw the Goody family interview on Facebook and bought a ticket to fly home to Pocatello immediately after.
“I feel very strongly about protecting people that are (going through) this justice system,” she said. “I know what it feels like to feel that vulnerable and to feel fear for kids.”