Murder trial rescheduled in shooting death of Dayton teen LaShonda Childs

DAYTON — UPDATE @ 11:22 a.m.:

Trendell Goodwin’s murder trial was rescheduled for Sept. 16 after a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge agreed to a change of defense attorney.

RELATED: Dayton man pleads not guilty in LaShonda Childs' death

Judge Dennis Adkins on Friday allowed Goodwin to hire Patrick Mulligan and replace public defender Michael Pentecost. Goodwin’s trial was to begin Monday.

Pentecost made a motion on Wednesday to withdraw as counsel and included a letter to Adkins from Goodwin saying that the defendant was not happy with his representation. Adkins told Goodwin he will not approve any other changes in counsel.

Goodwin, 28, is accused of killing his girlfriend, LaShonda Childs, two days before her 18th birthday.

INITIAL REPORT:

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the October 2018 shooting death of LaShonda Childs.

Her ex-boyfriend, Trendell Lamont Goodwin, 28, is charged with two counts of murder, three counts of felonious assault and two counts of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises in the Oct. 2 incident, according to a Montgomery County grand jury report. All of the charges are felonies, and each carries a three-year firearm specification.

RELATED: 'Domestic violence is real': Social media posts, court records show teen shooting victim's calls for help

Goodwin is alleged to have gotten into an argument with Childs and her boyfriend on Mumma Avenue in Dayton when prosecutors say Goodwin pulled out a gun.

Childs called 911, and she and her boyfriend got into their car and were trying to drive away when Goodwin allegedly fired into the vehicle. Childs was struck in the head and her boyfriend drove her directly to Grandview Medical Center, where she died Oct. 3 of her injuries.

Less than two weeks before her death, Childs posted “domestic violence is real” on her Facebook page in a viral post that has been shared more than 42,000 times.

Goodwin and Childs started dating in September 2017, according to Childs’ family. He initially told the victim that he was 20 years old, not in his late 20s, and after he started showing abusive behavior, Childs tried to leave him, family said.

A review of court records by this news organization revealed Childs and her family also went to police for help related to Goodwin on multiple occasions.

Goodwin, who pled not guilty to all charges, is currently in Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The trial is scheduled to begin on April 15, records show.

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