YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office has objected to the release from prison of Barry Goodwin, 47, in the May 1998 shooting death of Wesley Moore.

A press release states that the reasons for opposing Goodwin’s release are public safety and the severity of Goodwin’s crime. Goodwin was convicted in 1999 and has served nearly 27 years of his sentence of 18 years to life, according to the press release and court and prison records.

“Goodwin was found guilty of shooting Moore in the head following an argument while in a vehicle with a third individual, Andre Maxwell,” the press release states.

“Moore’s body was later discovered in Mill Creek Park. Goodwin confessed to the murder. At trial Goodwin claimed the confession was coerced,” the release states. A jury found Goodwin guilty of murder and a firearm specification. He entered prison July 30, 1999, according to prison records.

“Goodwin’s release poses a significant threat to public safety, (and) his extensive record of institutional misconduct exemplifies that,” the release states. “Since his incarceration, Goodwin has accumulated over 100 disciplinary infractions, including acts of violence, sexual harassment and defiance of prison staff

“Nearly 60 of these infractions have occurred in the past decade, with 20 violations recorded in the last two years alone. For these reasons, the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office strongly opposes Goodwin’s parole,” the release states.

According to a September 2001 Seventh District Court of Appeals ruling in Goodwin’s case, Maxwell told authorities and stated at trial that he and Moore were driving around May 5, 1998, when they picked up Goodwin.

Maxwell said the men smoked marijuana and that Moore and Goodwin were arguing, calling each other names, and Moore pulled the car over and turned to face Goodwin, who was in the passenger seat.

“Suddenly (Goodwin) pulled out a (handgun) and shot Wesley Moore in the head,” the ruling states. Maxwell said Goodwin told him to drive the car, and when “they stopped near Idora Park, Goodwin pointed the gun at him and told him to dispose of the body.”

When Maxwell struggled to move the body, Goodwin helped him, then Goodwin drove the car, crashing into a telephone pole. They abandoned the car and ran. A 911 call alerted police to the crash on Clearmount Drive on the South Side and that two males ran from the vehicle.

Goodwin, then 20, signed a confession at the Mill Creek Park Police Department after initially denying any involvement, the ruling states. But at Goodwin’s trial, he denied being present at the murder, saying he “felt pressure to confess from police.”

Capt. John Lynch of the park police department testified at trial that in Goodwin’s statement, he gave the type of gun, location of the body and location of the crash and that the officer did not reveal any of that information to Goodwin.