She Had Bags Packed and Plans to Leave — Then Her Controlling Boyfriend Killed Her in Cold Blood

• Kieron Goodwin, 33, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years for killing 29-year-old Olivia Wood
• Goodwin was in a relationship with Wood for less than three months when he strangled her at his apartment in Frome, a town in Somerset, England, on July 30, 2024
• Goodwin previously pleaded guilty to “controlling and coercive” behavior against Wood and three other victims. 

An English man who strangled his girlfriend on the night authorities said she planned to leave him will spend at least three decades behind bars.

On May 8, Kieron Goodwin, 33, was sentenced in Bristol Crown Court to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years in connection with the 2024 killing of 29-year-old Olivia Wood, according to a statement from Avon and Somerset Police. 

Authorities said Goodwin previously pleaded guilty to “controlling and coercive” behavior against Wood and three other victims. 

He was then found guilty of rape, sexual assault, and other criminal offenses related to the three separate victims. The sentence also included those convictions.

Goodwin was in a relationship with Wood for less than three months when he strangled her at his apartment in Frome, a town in Somerset, England, on July 30, 2024, authorities said. She died in the hospital later that day.

According to the BBC, an autopsy confirmed Wood had a near-fatal dose of cocaine in her system and had a neck injury consistent with strangulation. Prosecutors said Goodwin forced Wood to take drugs and perform sex acts on camera throughout their relationship, per the outlet.

During the five-week trial, prosecutors told the jury that Wood’s packed suitcase and bags filled with her clothes and toiletries suggested she was planning to leave, per the statement.

According to reporting by the BBC, Goodwin’s surviving victims described a pattern of Goodwin “love bombing” them before sharing that he was battling with his mental health. The victims claimed Goodwin then turned abusive and controlling, saying he threatened to die by suicide if they left the relationship, they told the outlet. 

All of the surviving victims were granted indefinite restraining orders at the sentencing hearing, authorities said.

“He made his abuse so discreet to the outside world that no one would ever have known what went on behind closed doors, so I felt alone,” one of the anonymous victims said in court, per the statement. 

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In a victim impact statement, one of Wood’s three sisters said Goodwin “preyed on Olivia’s good nature.”

“He knew she couldn’t drive away from anyone who might harm themselves,” Kyra Wood said, per the statement. “She turned around.  Olivia’s kindness has inadvertently saved another woman from her death.”  

The victim’s mother,  Astrid Wood, spoke of her “loving, hardworking and helpful” late daughter, whose compassion sparked her interest in nature, particularly protecting small animals, per the statement.

“She gave me purpose,” she said. “She was beautiful and confident walking her path, she knew where she wanted to be.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.