Lawrence Foster Goodine, a 43-year-old former Chattanooga police officer, was arrested on Friday, December 14, and charged with the murder of Kara Akins, 48, whose body was found in the Southside Gardens neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Goodine, who was arrested in Fairfield Glade, about 90 miles north of Chattanooga, is also facing charges of kidnapping and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
The case began on November 29 when Chattanooga Police responded to a call about an unconscious person on Carr Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered Akins’ body. Initially, the nature of Akins’ death was unclear, but subsequent investigations, including an autopsy, revealed that she died from manual strangulation and blunt force head injury. The medical examiner’s report noted a broken bone and multiple injuries to her neck, face, and jaw.
According to an affidavit, Goodine told the police he and Akins had gone to dinner on the evening of November 29, followed by a stop at a gas station to buy cigarettes. Goodine claimed that Akins disappeared from the car during this time, and he found her later, acting as if under the influence of narcotics. He said they went back to her home, fell asleep, and when he woke up, found Akins unconscious. Goodine’s initial belief was that she had overdosed.
The toxicology report, however, presented a different story. While it showed Akins had a blood-alcohol-concentration of 0.254, more than three times the legal driving limit in Tennessee, no narcotics were found in her system.
Goodine had previously identified Akins as his girlfriend during a domestic disturbance call in October and they were ordered to have no contact with each other.
Goodine’s history with the Chattanooga Police Department is marked by controversy. He was dismissed from the force in 2007 following an internal affairs investigation that led to charges including theft, improper search, improper procedure, untruthfulness, and submitting a false report. Although Goodine was cleared of theft and extortion charges in 2008, then-police chief Freeman Cooper refused to reinstate him. Goodine’s subsequent appeals and legal battles to regain his position were unsuccessful, with the Tennessee Court of Appeals upholding his termination in 2011.
The accused is currently being held in the Hamilton County Jail without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 22, 2023.
Kara Akins was a mother to seven children, aged six to 29, and a dedicated community advocate.