Appeal denied for man convicted of crimes involving 7-year-old girls
<p class="indent">The state Supreme Court has denied an appeal by a man who was convicted in state district court on two counts of sexual battery and one count of attempted simple battery.</p><p class="indent">Terry James Goodeaux, 54, was indicted in 2013 and convicted in 2015 after a jury trial.</p><p class="indent">Shortly after his conviction, he filed a motion for a new trial. A hearing was held, but the court declined his motion.</p><p class="indent">During his trial, jurors heard testimony from three 7-year-old girls. Two of them said Goodeaux, their neighbor, had inappropriately touched them. The other girl said Goodeaux had tried to do so.</p><p class="indent">A man testified at trial that he happened to look out a window of his trailer in the trailer park where all of the parties lived separately and said he saw something “inappropriate” transpire between Goodeaux and the girls who were sitting outdoors in an area between trailers.</p><p class="indent">He told investigators he became angry and wanted to go and confront Goodeaux but his girlfriend stopped him. He said when he “cooled down” he went to the home of the girls and informed the parents of what he had seen and he also gave a report to police.</p><p class="indent">Goodeaux was sentenced on Jan. 22, 2016, to 25 years on each sexual battery count to be served concurrently, and three months on the attempted simple battery count, to be served at the same time as the other sentences.</p><p class="indent">He was given credit for time served.</p><p class="indent">Because his victims were under 13, he received the minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years each on the sexual battery charges.</p><p class="indent">Goodeaux filed a motion to have his sentence reconsidered but that motion was denied without a hearing.</p><p class="indent">In November of last year, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed Goodeaux’s sentence.</p>