LAKEWOOD, Ohio — A local murder case will soon receive national attention on Investigation Discovery.
The network will feature a Lakewood homicide on "The Murder Tapes", which examines homicide investigations through up-close vantages, including body cam, surveillance and interrogation video.
The episode, which airs Feb. 19 at 9 p.m., features the murder of 53-year-old Maurice Goins, who was found stabbed to death in August 2017 in his Madison Avenue home. The case went cold for 10 months before an unexpected tip led police to 39-year-old Charles Muscatello.
Officers Darren Smykowski and Ryan Summerville were interviewed during the episode as the officers who first found Goins' body in his apartment. It was also Summerville's first day on the job.
The two performed a welfare check on Goins and entered his apartment through a window before discovering a bloody scene.
"I've been on many death scenes and unfortunately, this one was very gruesome in comparison," investigating officer Heather Herpka said during her interview during the episode.
During Muscatello's interview with Lakewood police, he claimed he acted in self-defense because Goins tried to attack him with a steak knife. Police didn't believe his statement, as Muscatello claimed he had only stabbed Goins once. Goins' body had multiple stab wounds, as confirmed by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner.
Officers matched bloody footprints found in the house with the tread pattern of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. Those footprints were eventually matched to Muscatello's shoes, which he admitted to wearing at the crime scene.
Investigators also determined that a TV had been stolen from the apartment. Muscatello claimed he received the TV from Goins in exchange for sexual favors. His prior record includes convictions for burglary, theft, robbery and attempted escape.
Muscatello was eventually sentenced to life behind bars with parole eligibility after 20 years for murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery.
