Suspect in Killing Linked to Assault Accusation

A 21-year-old man was accused of assault by a teenage girl hours before he allegedly raped and killed a college freshman in a dorm fire, police records show.

The complaint shows that the 17-year-old called police late May 3 to say that Lucas Goodrum had hit her twice in the face with a cell phone at his apartment and then “held her down in her car and would not let her leave.”

Officers told the girl that because she was a minor, court officials would not issue an arrest warrant without a parent’s signature, said Scottsville police Chief Julian Tabor. No warrant was issued, he added.

Hours later, a fire was reported in a dorm room at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. Katie Autry, 18, was found inside, burned, beaten and raped. She died three days later.