Dad who told friend he kept starving 14-year-old 'locked up' with 'camera on her' in room rigged with alarm is convicted

A Wisconsin begetter could soon articulation his woman successful situation aft being convicted of starving and abusing his 14-year-old daughter, who authorities recovered weighing conscionable 35 pounds and "very, precise adjacent to death" successful her location successful August 2025.

Walter S. Goodman connected Tuesday pleaded nary contention and was convicted of 2 counts of chronic neglect of a child, with 1 resulting successful large bodily harm and the different resulting successful affectional damage, and 1 number of mendacious imprisonment, tribunal records show.

Walter Goodman is 1 of 4 adults charged aft authorities discovered the miss successful what Law&Crime has antecedently reported arsenic a "house of horrors." The others are the victim's stepmother, Melissa Goodman; Savanna LeFever, the victim's big stepsister; and Kayla Stemler, the stepsister's partner.

Melissa Goodman was antecedently sentenced to 15 years successful prison; Stemler received an eight-year sentence; LeFever is scheduled to beryllium sentenced Dec. 3.

According to the transgression complaint, Walter Goodman called 911 connected Aug. 21, 2025, saying his girl was autistic, had not eaten successful "the past 4 [or] 5 days," and appeared to beryllium "comatose." When archetypal responders arrived, they recovered the miss severely underweight and malnourished, with her collarbone, rib cage, hips and cheekbones prominently visible. She appeared to beryllium the size of a 6- to 8-year-old child.

The miss was taken to a infirmary successful Green Bay earlier being airlifted to Children's Hospital successful Milwaukee. Doctors diagnosed her with terrible malnourishment and recovered that she had a glucose level of 24, was hypothermic and had aggregate bedsores. Doctors feared she could endure catastrophic organ nonaccomplishment wrong 72 hours.

Investigators determined that the girl's information had developed implicit years. After Walter Goodman gained custody of her successful 2020, she stopped attending schoolhouse and was allegedly kept wrong her bedroom, wherever her begetter had installed a camera and an alarm connected the door.

A person of Walter Goodman told constabulary helium erstwhile heard the begetter endanger to withhold nutrient from the miss if she acted out. From a probable origin affidavit:

He heard [Walter Goodman] marque comments like, "If she misbehaves, I'm not going to provender her today." [The friend] said helium told [Walter Goodman] that helium can't bash that, and [Walter Goodman] said, "Well I support her locked up successful her chamber with a camera connected her, and that's wherever she stays." [The friend] said helium told [Walter Goodman] that helium can't fastener a kid successful a bedroom, that was abuse. [The friend] indicated that astatine times erstwhile [Walter Goodman] brought [the victim] to his house, [Walter Goodman] would archer [the victim] to "Shut the f— up," and "Sit determination and don't accidental nothing."

Stemler lived successful the location with her partner, Savanna LeFever; LeFever's mother, Melissa Goodman; and Walter Goodman. Authorities alleged that Stemler and LeFever would attraction for the miss erstwhile Walter and Melissa Goodman were distant from location truthful different kid could person crab treatment.

Prosecutors antecedently elaborate further conditions the miss allegedly endured during the 5 years earlier her rescue. She was not allowed to permission her chamber without supervision, and a broad had been nailed implicit her window, according to the Post-Crescent.

The miss was besides allegedly denied nutrient and h2o portion adults successful the location monitored her done the chamber camera.

Walter Goodman is scheduled to beryllium sentenced Feb. 2, 2027. He faces a maximum punishment of 28 years successful prison.