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A judge has dismissed the case against a professional tennis referee accused of bludgeoning her husband to death with a coffee mug in the couple's Woodland Hills home this April.
The case against Goodman has been complicated from the beginning, the Los Angeles Times notes. Initially, police determined there was no foul play in the case. Their investigation squared with Goodman's story that her husband Alan Goodman, 80, fell down the stairs before crawling back up into his bed and dying.
A few days after his death authorities with the coroner noticed that his body had deep gashes around his head and ears with shards of pottery. That triggered a homicide investigation and Lois Goodman was the main suspect. Prosecutors alleged that Lois Goodman was having an affair and that she got a manicure after murdering her husband. Goodman's attorney called the charges "outrageous." Goodman was arrested in New York City just as she was preparing to officiate at the U.S. Open.
But law enforcement sources told the Times that an ongoing investigation has turned up evidence that Goodman's death was accidental. It's not clear if prosecutors plan to drop the case entirely or if they will refile charges.
This morning the judge dismissed the case against Lois Goodman without prejudice, which means that the charges could be refiled in the future, according to City News Service.
Goodman's attorney says she passed a lie-detector test and that none of her DNA showed up on the broken pieces of the coffee cup.
UPDATE: Outside the Van Nuys court Goodman told reporters she was relieved that the case was dismissed: "I feel wonderful ... I've always maintained my innocence."
The DA's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the murder charges were dropped after prosecutors "received additional information regarding the case." But because the investigation is ongoing and charges could be re-filed, prosecutors didn't want to discuss exactly what that evidence might be.
Related:
Tennis Ref Murder Suspect's Attorney: Charges 'outrageous' and 'unfounded'
Tennis Umpire Got Her Nails Done After Leaving Her Husband To Die, D.A. Claims
