A nine-year-old girl was shot dead outside her family's home in Chicago in August 2023, moments after giving her father an ice cream. Sarabi Medina had been riding her scooter when Michael Goodman, 46, fatally shot her in the head near her apartment.
Sarabi had told her dad, Michael: 'Daddy, I got you an ice cream', before Goodman opened fire. Goodman admitted to taking several doses of ketamine on the day of the attack, over the recommended limit, which he said he had bought on the dark web after his antidepressants didn't work.
Father's Attempt to Stop the Attack
Sarabi's dad attempted to tackle Goodman, who continued to attack the girl. Mr Medina then hurled Goodman to the ground, causing the attacker's gun to discharge again, firing a bullet which hit his eye, leaving him partially blind.
Goodman insisted he had no recollection of shooting Sarabi, claiming his memory was hazy and he had had suicidal thoughts. His account was disputed by Sarabi's dad, who recalled screaming at the gunman who 'wouldn't look at us for nothing'. 'He took my child. He took my 9-year-old. And you think anything he said is going to mean anything to me?', he told ABC7.
Sentencing and Family Reaction
Goodman was sentenced on Thursday to 40 years in jail with no possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murder. He will spend 37 years behind bars, with the three years he has already spent in prison deducted from his term.
Responding to calls from Sarabi's family for a longer sentence, Judge Tyria Walton said Goodman would already be 83 years old by the time he is due to be released. A statement read out by the father's attorney in court said: 'I would trade my life for hers in a heartbeat.'
Remembering Sarabi
Sarabi was starting fourth grade at Reinberg Elementary School at the time of her murder. She would have been 13 years old on December 1. Her cousin Juleesa said the family would not forgive Goodman for his actions. 'The first time I looked in his eyes I couldn't help but think that was the last thing my cousin ever saw', she recalled.
