ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — One of those accused of taking part in an elaborate plan that allowed two convicted killers to walk away from a Florida prison was in court Thursday.
Terrance Goodman was in court where he told the judge he can't afford his own attorney.
Goodman is charged with conspiracy to commit escape, and harboring escaped prisoners Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker.
Investigators said Jenkins and Walker used forged court orders to get out of their life prison sentences and go free.
After his arraignment Channel 9's Kathi Belich spoke to him about the prison escape case.
Goodman is accused of driving escapees Jenkins and Walker to a motel in Panama City, where Goodman is from, and where investigators arrested Jenkins and Walker.
"Did you help them get the motel room?" Belich asked Goodman.
"I told you I'm taking the fifth. They got me charged with that. You think I'm going to tell you something about it?" Goodman said.
Court records show Goodman talked to investigators about it. And that he and Jenkins discussed another defendant, Willie Slater.
Investigators said Slater got the prison escape scheme rolling four years ago, by convincing Jenkins to confess to a crime Slater was accused of.
Investigators believe that allowed Slater to walk out of prison.
"Do you know why Jenkins would agree to confess to Slater's crime?" Belich asked Goodman.
"I don't know nothing about it," Goodman said.
Records show Goodman believes Slater tried to have him killed in 2011, right after Goodman was released from prison, because Goodman knew Slater's secret.
Goodman served two years at Franklin Correctional Institution for third-degree murder. Jenkins and Walker were at the same facility.
"Let me tell you something about this here. OK? I don't give a f--- about Willie Slater, OK? Put it like that," Goodman said.
"Do you think he was trying to have you killed?"
"You got to ask him that," Goodman said.
Belich tried to contact Slater to talk about the case, but he wasn't interested in discussing it.
Slater is not facing any charges relating to allegations he tried to harm Goodman.
Goodman admitted to having financial ties to escapees Jenkins and Walker.
"I heard that you were depositing money in their accounts in prison," Belich said to Goodman.
"The families do that too, right?" Goodman said.
"Why were you doing it though because you're not related to them?" Belich asked.
"Because I wanted to," Goodman said.
"You're a friend of theirs and you just wanted to help them?" Belich asked.
"Basically," Goodman said.
Goodman told Belich that the whole story will come out in court.
"If you were friends with (Jenkins and Walker) from prison, how would you describe them?" Belich asked.
"Eager to be free, how about that?" Goodman said.
WFTV
