The Coffee Cup Murder – By Jack Neworth

Written by: Staff on 1st September 2012

The Coffee Cup Murder - By Jack Neworth |

(Or, Did the Court Curmudgeon Bludgeon?)

The U.S. Open is well underway and 10sballs.com is there covering all the exciting action, which pundits are predicting might be the best in years as who’s going to win the Men’s and Women’s titles appears up for grabs. But, at the risk of being tennis’ version of the N.Y. Post, we’re also following the legal problems facing Lois (“Lolo”) Goodman, 70, a veteran U.S. Open line judge with a reputation for being a tad feisty.

With the action in full swing, instead of calling lines at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Lolo sits in a Van Nuys , California jail. She’s awaiting arraignment on a charge of murdering her husband, Alan, 80, in their Woodland Hills, California condominium on April 17^th. The story has made nationwide news and 10sballs.com is Johnny on the spot. (Assuming we had a writer named Johnny.)

Last Tuesday it seems, Lolo was nonchalantly standing in front of a Midtown Manhattan Sheraton Hotel, dressed in her navy blue U.S. Open uniform, when she was abruptly taken into custody by police detectives. (She had been about to board a shuttle to Flushing Meadows where qualifying matches were ongoing.) Only hours later, and showing no emotion, Lolo was in handcuffs in a New York court room and soon to be the subject of a media frenzy. (Frenzy is not one of our long suits, but we’re giving it a try.)

According to L.A. Deputy District Attorney, Lisa Tanner, prosecutors allege that, on April 17^th, Goodman bludgeoned her husband to death with a coffee cup that broke and then used the sharp handle to stab him. (Ouch!)

In fact, two fire department paramedics, responding to Lolo’s 911 call, did make a note of an odd-shaped wound on Goodman’s head, according to a police detective’s affidavit. They advised authorities that “the scene appeared suspicious” and left the body undisturbed.

But police originally accepted Lolo’s explanation and even tried to console her. Lolo claimed that she returned home from a day of refereeing tennis to find a blood-covered coffee mug and Alan lying in bed not breathing. Being a diabetic with high blood pressure, she assumed he had fallen down the stairs and had a heart attack. (Although one officer reportedly mentioned it was odd that, instead of grieving, she insisted on telling them about a brouhaha she once had with Andre Agassi.)

Mystery continues to shroud the facts and possible motive. Lolo, who was briefly in a Van Nuys courtroom last Friday, appearing exhausted and stone-faced (and still in her U.S. Open gear) has engaged Alison Triessl as her counsel. An experienced media-savvy defense attorney, Triessl’s frequently seen on TV and radio as a defense legal expert. (And she even has her own IMDB page!)

Also in court last Friday, were Ms. Goodman’s sister and one of her three daughters but they couldn’t see the defendant because she was behind a meshed-covered window.

Later, outside the courtroom, as reported by the N.Y. Daily News (which recently did a feature about a “Montana man dressed as Big Foot killed in a car accident”) was one of Lolo’s daughters who was visibly upset after the hearing. She allegedly flashed her middle finger when reporters approached her and yelled at a TV camera crew, “”Get away from me!” (Possibly feistiness is genetic?)

Also outside the courtroom, lawyer Triessl came out swinging, condemning the arrest as a low blow. “These charges are outrageous and completely unfounded. The LAPD should be ashamed of arresting a 70-year-old woman in New York who has made herself available to investigators in Los Angeles .”

Reportedly, Lolo’s e-mails, reviewed by police and contained in court papers, provide some intriguing, albeit incomplete details. The search warrant affidavit indicates that Lolo may have been involved in a relationship with another man. (A fellow linesperson, perhaps? “Enquiring minds” want to know.)

During the search of the Goodman home, police said they seized evidence that Lolo had indeed been communicating on the Internet with another man. The affidavit said one email contained the phrase “alternative sleeping arrangements” and suggested that she was considering “terminating a relationship.” (Gulp!)

But Ms. Triessl countered on Lolo’s behalf. “There was no romantic relationship with anyone else and it’s absurd to suggest that. My client absolutely maintains her innocence.”

In fact, in seeking a bail reduction, Triessl maintains that her client couldn’t physically have carried out the murder in the first place. In court papers filed late Monday, Triessl cited Lolo’s two knee replacements, a shoulder replacement, rheumatoid arthritis, hearing loss and constant spinal pain that’s only controlled by an electronic device implanted in her spine. (In other words, a perfect line judge as there was no mention of near-sightedness.)

“It is physically impossible for her to have done this,” Triessl told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday night. Triessl asked the judge to reduce Goodman’s $1 million bail to $100,000 or release her on electronic monitoring.

“Mrs. Goodman is not a danger to any person or the community,” Triessl wrote in the motion. She added that there was no chance Goodman would flee, noting that she doesn’t have a passport and has lifelong ties to the San Fernando Valley where she was born, raised and went to school.

Triessl gave the court 40 testimonial letters from other tennis umpires, neighbors, family and friends, lauding Goodman as a beloved friend, colleague, mother and grandmother who treated her husband like a king. (If Vegas posts odds, I’m betting on Lolo.)

Undaunted, Assistant D.A. Tanner continues to say, “All of the facts will come out during the trial. The People are confident that justice will prevail.” Hopefully that will be the case. But, more importantly, who’s going to win the Open?

Jack Neworth writes a humor column every Friday in the Santa Monica Daily Press at www.smdp.com. He is also the co-author of” Men in White”, a screenplay about tennis legend Pancho Gonzalez and his rollercoaster forty-five-year friendship with fellow HOF player Pancho Segura. Jack can be reached at jnsmdp@aol.com

Topics: Coffee Cup Murder, Lisa Tanner, Lois Goodman, Pancho Gonzalez, Pancho Segura, Sports, tennis murder, Tennis News, US Open 2012