South Carolina man sentenced to 45 years for shooting fiancée's father dead in Goose Creek

Joshua Scott-Lee Butler, 29, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 45 years for fatally shooting Earl Goodwater, 53, who intervened to protect his daughter.

Goose Creek father killed after stepping in to protect daughter from violent partner

A South Carolina man was sentenced to 45 years in prison this week for the fatal shooting of his fiancée's father, who had intervened during a domestic violence incident, Law & Crime reports.

Joshua Scott-Lee Butler, 29, was convicted by a Berkeley County jury on one count of murder in the death of 53-year-old Earl Goodwater. The jury also found him guilty of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was acquitted on a separate count of second-degree domestic violence.

Circuit Court Judge Courtney Clyburn-Pope handed down the 45-year murder sentence, along with two concurrent five-year terms for the lesser offenses.

The night of May 13, 2023

The incident took place outside the Goodwater family residence on Westminster Boulevard in the St. James Estates neighborhood of Goose Creek, according to the Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Butler and his then-fiancée arrived at her parents' home around 10 p.m. The couple had already been arguing that evening at a separate family gathering. In the driveway, the dispute turned physical — Butler struck the woman in the face, cutting her mouth and causing it to swell. The assault happened in front of the couple's young daughter, prosecutors noted.

The woman went inside the house to retrieve the couple's 1-year-old child and called out to her father for help. Goodwater told his daughter to "leave that boy alone," and the two men became involved in a physical altercation that moved from inside the house out into the front yard. Family members attempted to separate them.

Butler retrieved a 9 mm handgun from his vehicle

Butler broke away and went to his car, where he retrieved a 9 mm handgun. He first aimed the weapon at a third person at the scene. That individual said, "I'm not afraid to die," in an apparent effort to draw attention away from Goodwater, his daughter, and the children who had gathered outside during the confrontation.

Butler then performed what prosecutors described as a "2-3 step," moved past the person he had been pointing the gun at, and confronted Goodwater again near the front porch. In the struggle that followed, Butler put the older man in a headlock while still holding the firearm. A single shot was fired.

Goodwater was struck in the right cheek. Prosecutors said the wound was fatal and likely caused instantaneous death.

Arrest and charges

Butler fled the scene with his 4-year-old daughter. Berkeley County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested him after he returned to the location later that night. He was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter before a grand jury later indicted him on the more serious charges that led to his conviction.

Assistant Solicitor Michelle Hart addressed the case in a statement following sentencing. "Earl Goodwater did what any good father would do: he stepped up to protect his daughter and grandchildren," Hart said. "This was a domino effect caused by the defendant's decisions. Butler had already assaulted Earl's daughter. He had already been pulled off of Earl. He chose to go to that car, arm himself, and go back to the house. That choice ended a father's life in front of his family, and the jury and judge held him accountable for it."

Source: Law & Crime