The mother killed in her Southeast D.C. home early Saturday had received an emergency protective order against her ex-boyfriend, who is accused in her murder, court documents show.
Stephanie Goodloe, 40, was shot in the bedroom of her home about 1:30 a.m. Saturday on the 700 block of Kentucky Avenue SE, near the Potomac Avenue Metro station, police said.
Someone heard gunshots and screaming and called 911, but by the time help arrived, Goodloe had died.
Court documents obtained by News4 show that in the two weeks before Goodloe was killed, she contacted police several times to report that her ex-boyfriend, Donald Hairston, was harassing and threatening her.
Goodloe, who worked in youth ministry at Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Northwest D.C., told police that on June 4 Hairston kicked and banged on her windows multiple times throughout the morning.
When she left home about noon, she saw that the tires of her car had been slashed, she told police. She was granted a temporarily restraining order.
Goodloe said in another police report, on June 9, that Hairston, 49, was violating the protective order by calling her from multiple phone numbers and showing up at her home. He was angry that he could not see Goodloe's daughter, she told police.
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The mother called police again on Friday, the day before she was killed, and said Hairston again had violated the protective order. He called her at work and told her she should leave D.C. because he would send people to hurt her, she said. Hairston said he did not care if he went to jail, Goodloe told police.
The following day, Goodloe was killed and Hairston was charged with first-degree murder.
Someone who heard the crime and then saw Hairston leave the house told police that conflict between Hairston and Goodloe arose after Goodloe learned that her then-boyfriend was cheating on her, court documents say.
By all accounts, Goodloe asked for help as police recommend. She even kept a log of the threatening calls and text messages Hairston made.
She and Hairston were scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on Monday so a judge could determine if the protective order should remain in place. Instead, Hairston appeared before a judge, charged with Goodloe's murder. He was ordered held without bond.
The D.C. domestic violence shelter My Sister's Place receives more than 20 calls per day from women seeking protection from threats and abuse, Dr. Brynez Roane said.
"This is happening every day to our ladies, and we're fighting every day to really make sure we can advocate for resources in our community," she said.
The number of requests in D.C. for protective orders has increased by about 20 percent over the past several years, court records show.
Roane said she believes the spike reflects an increase in the number of women asking for help.
"More people are reporting," she said.
The number of homicides in D.C. involving intimate partners has dropped, from nine in 2014 to six in 2015. Three homicides have been classified this way so far this year.
At My Sister's Place, about 60 women and their families are on a waiting list for shelter space.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. Prince George's County also has a special unit that responds to domestic violence crimes.
You can find more services and programs for individuals affected by domestic violence here.
For free counseling and therapy, visit probonocounseling.org. And for My Sister's Place, which offers shelter in a safe house, click here or call 202-749-8000.
