MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After more than six and a half years, the Memphis woman accused of hitting and killing a man in Midtown and then driving off in 2017 has pleaded guilty to several charges and was sentenced to probation.
According to court records, Joanna Goodfellow pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2023, to charges of vehicular homicide, tampering with evidence, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Court records show, as part of the deal, Goodfellow received three years suspended for the vehicular homicide charge, three years suspended for the tampering with evidence charge, and two years suspended for leaving the scene of an accident involving death. The sentences run concurrently, which means she will be off probation in November 2026.
In February 2017, investigators said Goodfellow hit 32-year-old Christopher Phillips as he crossed Madison Avenue just west of Overton Square. He died from his injuries.
Phillips’ family named her as the driver in a February 2018 civil wrongful death lawsuit, which claimed Goodfellow and others devised a scheme to drive the car to a Memphis car lot in order to hide it from investigators. According to Shelby County Circuit Court records, that case is ongoing.
