64°F
weather icon Cloudy
Las Vegas, NV
News

Suspect in 1986 killing of 7-year-old charged with murder

North Las Vegas police say several DNA tests confirmed 62-year-old Jasper Goddard killed 7-year-old April Rhodes after he took her from her home near Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive on the night of Nov. 24, 1986. (Courtesy, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT)
More Stories
Palestinians receive donated food at a community kitchen in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Sa ...
Witnesses and aid groups report a surge in looting in Gaza
FILE - Pope Francis meets with President Donald Trump, left, on the occasion of their private a ...
Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope
FILE - Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett speaks during an interview with Liz C ...
‘The time has arrived’: Buffett announces intention to retire at year’s end
Syria's security forces stand on their vehicle, after reaching a deal with Druze gunmen to depl ...
Israeli military strikes near Syria’s presidential palace after warning over attacks
By STEVEN SLIVKA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
December 20, 2013 - 5:44 pm
 

The man who was arrested in July for the 1986 killing of a 7-year-old Las Vegas girl has been formally charged with murder.

North Las Vegas police say several DNA tests confirmed 62-year-old Jasper Goddard killed 7-year-old April Rhodes after he took her from her home near Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive on the night of Nov. 24, 1986.

Rhodes was found the next day lying in a pool of her own blood. Evidence at the scene showed she was beaten to death with a cinder block and sexually assaulted.

Goddard was arrested in June on a routine traffic stop in Missouri when police discovered his Nevada arrest warrant. He registered as a sex offender in Missouri after he was arrested and served four years for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 1989.

In 1986, Goddard lived two doors down from Rhodes in the 2100 block of Statz Street.

He was charged with one count of murder, sexual assault with a minor, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and burglary.

Contact reporter Steven Slivka at sslivka@reviewjournal.com. Follow @StevenSlivka on Twitter.

MOST READ
In case you missed it
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Palestinians receive donated food at a community kitchen in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Sa ...
Witnesses and aid groups report a surge in looting in Gaza
By Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy The Associated Press

Israel has blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended the latest ceasefire with Hamas in March.

FILE - Pope Francis meets with President Donald Trump, left, on the occasion of their private a ...
Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope
By NICOLE WINFIELD and JILL COLVIN Associated Press

The image, shared Friday night on the president’s Truth Social site and later reposted by the White House on its official X account, raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican.

MORE STORIES