Warning: This article contains graphic details and images that may be upsetting to readers.
A 23-year-old man convicted of second-degree murder in the stabbing of a Good Samaritan three years ago in Bradford has been sentenced.
Brandon Aaron was found guilty of killing David Goddard, 59, after Goddard came to the aid of Aaron’s teenage girlfriend on September 4, 2022, during a heated argument between the couple along Holland Street West.
Aaron will spend at least 14 years in prison. He was sentenced by Justice Jill Cameron after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in June for stabbing Goddard to death on the side of the road. Aaron claimed self-defence, saying he feared for his safety when Goddard approached him and became enraged.
Goddard’s loved ones, including his brother-in-law Donald Ayers, attended the trial and the sentencing hearing.
“I am hoping that he uses that time wisely,” said Ayers. ““Whether you get parole is entirely up to you,” he added as a message to Aaron. Goddard’s family hopes Aaron understands what he has done.
Aaron left Goddard lifeless on the side of road, went home, changed his clothes and visited with family.
His beaten girlfriend was taken to the hospital with a broken arm. The court heard the young couple got into an argument that night over Aaron being drunk and losing her cell phone. As they searched downtown for the phone, the court heard, Aaron became violent and pulled out a steak knife and held it to her throat, threatening to kill her.
Goddard, described as a night owl by loved ones, was walking by at the time, and stepped in to defend Aaron’s girlfriend. He had offered to take her home, which escalated into an argument with Aaron.
Goddard suffered 20 stab wounds and died on the sidewalk. Aaron, aside from scratches on his neck and face, escaped without serious injury. Police called Goddard a Good Samaritan for his actions that fateful night.
The court heard that hours later, while speaking with police, the Aaron’s girlfriend received several messages from him asking her to save him, adding “you’re all I got.”
Aaron was represented by experienced defence lawyer Eugene Bhattacharya. “I have every expectation that Mr. Aaron has a good prospect for rehabilitation and will pay back some of the issues that arose as a result,” Bhattacharya said. “At the end of the day, this case is finished. It’s a tragedy and what has happened has happened.”
Ayers said he hopes Goddard’s death was not in vain, and had this message for Aaron. “Please make up for what you did for Dave by turning your life around and make up for it.”
Upon his eventual release from custody, Aaron is banned from having weapons for life and is not to communicate with the family of David Goddard.
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