Officer: North Toledo triple-murder site looked like 'horror movie'

Goldy Thompson listens as his murder trial gets under way in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Thompson's attorney said yesterday that prosecutors will not be able to link his client to the 2006 killings. Thompson's brother, Stoney Thompson, has been convicted and sentenced to three consecutive life prison terms.

Describing the bloody scene inside a boarded-up Ohio Street home as a "horror movie," Toledo police Sgt. Tom Kosmyna testified in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on the first day of Goldy Thompson's aggravated murder trial.

"It almost didn't look real, there was so much blood," he said. "It was like out of a horror movie or something."

Sergeant Kosmyna was one of several witnesses to testify yesterday about the 2006 murders of Michael York, Kenneth Nicholson, and Todd Archambeau. The three were killed Oct. 24, 2006, inside Archambeau's house at 410 Ohio St.

Thompson, 31, faces three counts of aggravated murder, each with gun specifications for the slayings. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Yesterday was the second time in about a month that a Lucas County jury heard about the triple murder and saw bloody images of the crime's gruesome aftermath. Thompson's brother and co-defendant, Stoney Thompson, 28, was sentenced June 27 to three consecutive life terms without parole after being convicted by a jury of three counts of aggravated murder for the crime.

In his opening statements yesterday, Assistant County Prosecutor Jeremy Santoro said the state would prove Goldy Thompson was equally responsible.

"It took more than one killer to facilitate these brutal killings," Mr. Santoro said.

In the defense's opening statements, Thompson's attorney, Mark Geudtner, said his client was not involved in the deaths.

"The evidence will not prove Goldy Thompson was present or involved in any way," Mr. Geudtner said.

He argued the prosecutors would present no scientific or direct evidence, such as fingerprints, DNA, or fibers, to link Thompson to the scene.

"There's nothing but speculation and innuendos," he said of the case against his client.

In addition to Sergeant Kosmyna, jurors also heard a 911 call about the killings, listened to testimony from other police offers who were at the crime scene, and saw a police video "walk through" of the house where the killings took place. Deputy Coroner Cynthia Beisser testified about the injuries sustained by York, who was shot in the head and partially decapitated.

The trial temporarily was delayed at about 3 p.m. when people were evacuated to the courthouse basement because of a tornado warning. The delay lasted about 45 minutes.

The trial resumes today before Judge Ruth Ann Franks.

Contact Kate Giammarise at:

kgiammarise@theblade.com

or 419-724-6133.