SALEM — A judge yesterday signed off on the continued detention of a Salem mother charged with slashing her young children and then setting fire to their apartment in March.
During a brief hearing in Salem Superior Court, Judge Timothy Feeley granted a request by officials at Boston’s Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center to continue holding Tanicia Goodwin for at least another six months.
The judge also granted a request by prosecutors to continue holding Goodwin, 25, without bail as a danger to the community. That order is for up to 90 days.
Goodwin is facing attempted-murder and arson charges stemming from the incident inside the family’s Salem Heights apartment.
Her son, Jamaal, 8, and daughter Erica, 3, were both seriously injured.
Police responding to the fire in the high-rise apartment complex found that Goodwin had taken off doorknobs, making it impossible to get out of the burning apartment.
After the incident, Goodwin made statements to police suggesting that she was trying to “protect” her children.
The judge also granted a request by Goodwin’s attorneys, Steve Van Dyke and Denise Regan, to impound the report submitted to the court by doctors who have been evaluating Goodwin. They argue that the material is confidential and privileged — and that even the prosecutor, Melissa Woodard, is not entitled to it.
Woodard argued that she should have a copy, noting that the district attorney’s office is a party to the hospital’s petition to keep her hospitalized for further evaluation.
The two sides agreed to share a copy of the report after Regan has a chance to read it and redact or black out any statements Goodwin may have made to hospital staff.
The document, along with a number of other reports, including ones filed by the Department of Children and Families, will remain sealed, however, from the public and press.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, via email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter @SNJulieManganis.
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