Samuel Goodrick, 21, reacts and slumps over the podium during his initial appearance in a Phoenix courtroom on charges including attempted murder and robbery. (Maricopa County Superior Court)
PHOENIX - A 21-year-old Phoenix man is being held on a $1.5 million cash bond after allegedly beating a Tempe rideshare driver into a medically induced coma, stealing his SUV and launching a bizarre, naked interstate carjacking spree that ended along Interstate 10.
What we know:
Samuel Caleb Araujo Goodrick was booked into jail on charges including attempted second-degree murder, robbery and auto theft after the violent Nov. 6 rampage. Authorities say the victim, Chadwick Stevens, remains on life support with catastrophic, non-survivable brainstem injuries, prompting prosecutors and the court to prepare for upgraded homicide charges.
A brutal ambush
The backstory:
The violence unfolded early Friday morning when Tempe police responded around 5:50 a.m. to a 911 welfare check in an industrial park near Priest Drive and Elliott Road. A coworker arriving at the site discovered Stevens slumped against a truck tire, unresponsive and covered in blood. Emergency crews rushed Stevens to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, where doctors placed him in a medically induced coma with severe facial fractures, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and an unsalvageable brainstem injury.
Stevens, who co-owns a business in the warehouse complex and also works as a rideshare driver, had not returned home after a night on the road. His partner tracked his location using the Life360 app and rushed to the scene. Stevens’ black 2021 GMC Yukon was missing from the lot, but investigators soon found a crucial break in the case: Stevens’ cell phone, a protective phone case and Goodrick’s passport discarded along the roadside near Interstate 10 and Elliot Road.
Authorities believe Goodrick sped eastbound along I-10 into southwestern New Mexico, where the stolen Yukon was later found abandoned and facing the wrong direction on an off-ramp 11 miles over the state line in Hidalgo County. As New Mexico State Police responded, Goodrick allegedly jumped into the bed of a pickup truck towing a travel trailer as an unsuspecting family merged onto the highway.
Fearing for their lives, the family stayed behind the wheel and drove westbound back toward Arizona while Goodrick threatened them from the truck bed. As the vehicle crossed the state line into Cochise County, Goodrick allegedly shattered the truck's rear window and climbed naked into the passenger compartment. The family fought back, managed to pull over near San Simon and forced Goodrick out of the cab onto the highway.
New Mexico State Police and Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers converged on the area and detained Goodrick, who was naked and obstructing traffic on I-10. According to court documents, Goodrick immediately blurted out to a state trooper that he had killed someone in Arizona. Inside the abandoned Yukon in New Mexico, investigators recovered his debit card, a phone, a flip-flop and a fast-food receipt from Surprise.
Unhinged statements
What they're saying:
Goodrick was taken to Northern Cochise Community Hospital in Willcox for medical clearance, where detectives say his spontaneous confessions continued. When a Tempe detective asked if he knew why the police were there, Goodrick replied, "Because I killed a guy." Hours later, while sitting up in his hospital bed, Goodrick allegedly stated, "I just killed a dude. I smashed his (expletive) head into the ground. I can't believe I (expletive) did that."
After being transported back to the Valley, Goodrick became so combative and unruly that officers were unable to safely execute a search warrant for his fingerprints and DNA at the Tempe City Jail. During his initial court appearance, Goodrick made erratic remarks to the judge, claiming he had fought in a "spiritual war" and asking how long he would be a "sleepwalker."
What's next:
Citing the extreme danger to the public and the likelihood that Stevens will not survive, a Maricopa County judge ordered Goodrick held on a $1.5 million cash-only appearance bond with strict electronic monitoring and curfew conditions if released.
Map of where police found Stevens bloodied and unresponsive:
What we don't know:
Investigators have not yet disclosed a motive for the brutal assault, whether Goodrick was riding as Stevens' rideshare passenger or what formal criminal charges will be filed against Goodrick across the state line in New Mexico.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Maricopa County court records, Tempe Police Department investigative documents, New Mexico State Police statements, and the suspect's initial appearance court transcript.