Baltimore County police are asking the public for information about the 1984 stabbing death of Steven Godwin, a 32-year-old man who was killed outside the Corinthian Lounge on Windsor Mill Road. More than four decades later, investigators say the case remains unsolved.
Godwin was stabbed in the chest on the night of Oct. 18, 1984, after leaving the lounge, where he had been spending time and having a drink. His father was working that night as the business’s night manager in the package goods section.
According to Cpl. Dona Carter of the Baltimore County Police Cold Case Unit, Godwin said goodbye to his father and walked out through a side door toward the parking lot. Within seconds, he returned with a stab wound.
“Everything happened so quickly,” Carter said, describing how Godwin walked outside and came back inside moments later after being stabbed.
Several people tried to help Godwin, but he was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators Still Searching for a Motive
Police have not established why Godwin was attacked. Investigators noted that he still had $60 in cash when he died, and they found no clear indication that a fight inside the lounge had led to the stabbing.
Earlier that evening, Godwin had reportedly gone outside to help someone change a tire. He worked at a nearby Chevrolet dealership, had been married several times and was a father.
Carter said investigators found no obvious signs of a personal dispute when they spoke with Godwin’s friends and father.
“There was nobody that said that they had any particular problems with him, in talking with his friends and even, obviously his father,” Carter said. “There was nobody that stood out that he was having issues with or anything like that.”
The lack of an apparent motive has left investigators with unanswered questions about what happened that night.
DNA Testing Has Not Solved the Case
Investigators have tested evidence for DNA, but the results have been complicated by the victim’s blood contaminating much of the remaining evidence, Carter explained.
The murder weapon has never been recovered, leaving police without a key piece of evidence in the case.
Carter believes someone may still have information that could help investigators determine who killed Godwin.
“Because he was stabbed, maybe somebody came home that night and was wearing bloody clothing or came home with a bloody knife,” Carter said. “The murder weapon’s never been recovered. So somebody out there knows what happened and we just need somebody to come forward.”
Police Ask Anyone With Information to Come Forward
Baltimore County Police recently shared information about Godwin’s case, prompting people to respond with memories of him.
Investigators are renewing their appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the stabbing, heard something about the attack or learned information afterward that could help solve the killing.
Anyone with information about the night of Oct. 18, 1984, or the death of Steven Godwin is asked to contact the Baltimore County Police Department at 410-887-3943.
Even information that may seem minor could help investigators revisit the evidence and move the decades-old case closer to a resolution.
