Woman who murdered her boyfriend and scattered his body parts across two counties is sentenced

A 46-year-old woman from Maryland has been sentenced to 61 years in prison for the brutal murder and dismemberment of her boyfriend, a crime that shocked the community.

Michelina Desiree Goodwin was convicted in March by a St. Mary’s County jury on charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and unauthorized disposal of a body. The judge handed down the maximum possible sentence.

State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling condemned the crime in a statement, emphasizing the particularly gruesome nature of Goodwin’s actions.

“The defendant’s heinous act of shooting the victim in the back pales in comparison to the gruesome details following the murder. After killing the victim, the defendant dismembered him, and scattered his remains throughout our county and a neighboring county,” Sterling said.

The victim, 50-year-old James Volodimir Nalborczyk, was reported missing by his family to the Maryland State Police on December 21, 2022. He had not been seen or heard from in ten days, leading police to suspect foul play.

An investigation revealed that Nalborczyk had been killed, and parts of his body were discovered scattered across St. Mary’s County and nearby Charles County.

Goodwin was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.

According to reports, Goodwin initially told Nalborczyk’s family that she last saw him in early December 2022 and that he had left for Virginia in a company vehicle.

However, she later confessed to police that during an argument, she pointed a gun at him, which accidentally discharged, striking him in the back and killing him.

She then enlisted Larry Murphy’s help in dismembering and disposing of Nalborczyk’s body, though he denied his involvement when he was arrested in connection with the case.

The 42-year-old was initially charged with murder and accessory after the fact. He was eventually found guilty of accessory after the fact and sentenced to one year in jail.

Following the sentencing, Sterling expressed hope that the outcome would bring some sense of peace and closure to Nalborczyk’s family.

“My hope is that with the outcome of today’s sentencing hearing, the victim’s family can finally find peace, justice, healing, and closure after the horrifying homicide of their beloved family member,” Sterling said.

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Nalborczyk’s obituary remembered him as a hardworking man who spent years as an HVAC technician and more recently helped others through odd jobs, including work at the St. Mary’s farmer’s market.