Flight Risk: How Convicted Killer Glen Stewart Godwin Escaped Prison on Both Sides of the Border
Convicted murderer Glen Godwin was serving a 26 years to life sentence at California's Folsom Prison when he escaped in 1987. Later arrested and jailed in Mexico, Godwin once again managed to escape
Background
Glen Stewart Godwin was born in 1958 in Miami, Florida, but moved to Palm Springs, California as a child with his family.
As a youth, he did not show any outward signs that he was prone to violence or criminality. Godwin was an intelligent and good student who played trumpet in his high school band.
Godwin graduated high school and went into business for himself, working as a mechanic, tool salesman, and part-time construction worker. He appeared to be living an ordinary life. That would all change on the evening of August 1, 1980.
Murder of Kim LeValley
It has been speculated that the motive for the crime, which would eventually send Glen Godwin to Folsom Prison, stemmed from greed and jealousy.
It is believed that Godwin was resentful of his friend Kim LeValley, who was making a lot of money flying drugs into the United States for Mexican dealers.
Goodwin, along with his roommate Frank Soto, who was also friends with LeValley, hatched a plan to invite Kim over and rob him. On August 1, 1980, Godwin lured LeValley to his condominium under the guise of dropping off a cash deposit for a downpayment on a new condo.
According to Soto, he was only told of the plan hours before it was to happen (though this was disputed during his trial), yet he agreed to go through with it. He claims he was told that they were only going to rob LeValley, and there was no mention of murder.
The plan was for Godwin to give a signal, and Soto would grab and restrain LeVally while Godwin took the money.
However, when Soto restrained LeValley, Godwin brutally beat LeValley, repeatedly punching him in the face and stomping on his head and chest when he fell to the ground. Godwin then attempted to strangle LeValley with a towel.
When this proved unsuccessful, Godwin retrieved a knife and proceeded to stab LeValley more than 27 times.
Cover-up and Arrest
After the murder, Godwin called his former roommate Roy Dickey and asked him to come over. When Dickey and his girlfriend arrived, Godwin pointed a gun at Dickey and told him that if he didn’t help get rid of LeValley’s body, Godwin would kill Dickey’s girlfriend and her children.