SoCal tennis umpire arrested in NYC for murder of husband

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A 70-year-old professional tennis lines umpire from Southern California was arrested on Tuesday in New York City for allegedly killing her husband.

Lois Goodman has been charged with the murder of her 80-year-old husband, Alan Frederick Goodman, at their Woodland Hills home in April. Prosecutors say the weapon was a coffee mug.

"We believe that there was some sort of an argument," said LAPD Lt. Dave Storaker. "How that argument ensued and who had witnessed that argument, that's something that we'd like to hear from a lot of people."

Investigators say Lois Goodman looked stunned when she was arrested at her hotel in New York City at 7:45 a.m., where she was preparing to serve as a referee for the U.S. Open.

Authorities say Lois Goodman called police to the couple's home in the 20000 block of Oxnard Street on April 17. She told them she had returned from a tennis tournament and found her husband dead. She said at the time that she believed her husband had suffered a heart attack and had fallen down the stairs.

But investigators ruled the circumstances suspicious and began a lengthy investigation.

"The autopsy revealed that Mr. Goodman suffered multiple stab wounds, and we ruled the case homicide," said Ed Winter, asst. chief of the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

Prosecutors believe Lois Goodman bludgeoned her husband to death with a coffee mug.

Lois Goodman has been a tennis umpire for 30 years and has worked for the U.S. Open for at least 10 years. She has served as an official at tennis tournaments around the world. At the time of her arrest, she was preparing to referee a qualifying U.S. Open round.

She is being held in a Manhattan jail pending extradition to L.A. She was expected to arrive in L.A. in the next 10 days.

Get more Los Angeles News »

arrest, stabbing, murder, los angeles news, leanne suter

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•