x
Breaking News
More () »

Man Sentenced for Girlfriend’s Murder

WILLIAMSPORT — Hasan Gooden-Reid of Williamsport walked out of the Lycoming County Courthouse after admitting to killing his girlfriend, Kristina Pope, la...
wmpt body 6

WILLIAMSPORT -- Hasan Gooden-Reid of Williamsport walked out of the Lycoming County Courthouse after admitting to killing his girlfriend, Kristina Pope, last July.

"Can you all please forgive me? Can society, can the community of Williamsport please forgive me for what happened," Gooden-Reid asked.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to a list of charges including third degree murder and abuse of a corpse.

He told the judge he stabbed Pope about five times last July after he came home and found the toilet overflowed. He was scared to call the cops so he kept her in his closet for three weeks.

When neighbors complained of the smell, he put her body outside by a garbage can.

"I think anyone out there would understand that that's extremely difficult to hear of the murder of a family member and a loved one," Kimberly Pope-Seiberling said.

Kimberly Pope-Seiberling is the victim's aunt.

"With his history of mental illness and with the extent of violence of the crime, he is not capable of performing safely in polite society," Pope-Seiberling said.

At a young age Gooden-Reid was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. At the time of the murder, he had not been taking his medication for over a year.

Gooden-Reid was very emotional inside the courtroom. The sentencing had to be paused several times to calm him down.

"You were really upset in the courtroom. Yeah, I was upset in the courtroom. I was upset in the courtroom that we all make mistakes. We're human beings, we're not perfect. Stuff happens for certain reasons," Gooden-Reid said.

During the sentencing, Pope's social worker called Gooden-Reid a monster. She said, "She died sadly and too young at the hands of someone who she thought loved her."

"I 'm very sorry. I'm very sorry that it happened and stuff. I'm so sorry about it," Gooden-Reid said.

The judge requested that Hasan Gooden-Reid be put into a therapeutic community in prison to help with his mental illnesses. Again, he was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in state prison.

Before You Leave, Check This Out