David Godwin was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the murder of Wendy Tamagne. According to court documents David Godwin would murder Wendy Tamagne and dismember her body before placing her in garbage bags. David Godwin would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
North Carolina Death Row Inmate List
David Godwin 2021 Information
| Offender Number: | 1142266 |
| Inmate Status: | ACTIVE |
| Probation/Parole/Post Release Status: | INACTIVE |
| Gender: | MALE |
| Race: | WHITE |
| Ethnic Group: | EUROPEAN/N.AM./AUSTR |
| Birth Date: | 03/22/1991 |
| Age: | 30 |
| Current Location: | CENTRAL PRISON |
David Godwin More News
Jurors have sentenced David Godwin to death for beating, strangling, stabbing, killing and ultimately dismembering a Morehead City woman three years ago.
David Godwin, of Newport, was found guilty of first degree murder on April 12. He killed 37-year-old Wendy Tamagne, dismembered her body and stuffed it into trash bags in July 2016.
Authorities say Godwin fled on a Greyhound bus where he later showed up at Warrington Police Department in Oregon and said, “You guys are looking for me.” When they asked why, Godwin said, “I’m wanted for murder.”
Tamagne was recently divorced at the time of her death and living at Country Club Apartments, which is where her dismembered body was found on July 5, 2016. Police said Tamagne and Godwin knew each other and this was not a random act, but Godwin’s defense team states something different.
Prosecutors detailed a grisly scene throughout the murder trial while Godwin sat with his head down, staring at the table in front of him.
Tamagne’s mother, Jill Bergener, was the one who told authorities something was wrong the day after Tamagne’s murder. The mother and daughter spoke often and when Bergener was getting no response, each unanswered text sparked a growing concern. Bergener was among those in the courtroom as Godwin was sentenced.
“How am I ever going to forgive someone for murdering my daughter, said Bergener. “David you’re not sick, you’re a coward. You know it, I know it and God knows it.”
Bergener said she also told David Godwin’s mother she feels sorry for her and that they both lost children.
Godwin will be taken to the state penitentiary in Raleigh.
District Attorney Scott Thomas thanked the jury for their service.
“We are very appreciative of the jury for their work in this case,” Thomas said. “They have devoted nearly one month of their lives to this case from jury selection to the final sentence. They have had to listen to and observe gruesome evidence during this trial. They have used their good judgment and common sense to reach guilty verdicts and a sentence.
“My staff members who prosecuted this case spent months preparing this capital case for trial and nearly one month in court from jury selection through sentencing. They were well prepared and demonstrated their professional abilities on a very tough assignment. The Morehead City Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation, and the State Crime Lab worked diligently to solve this case and provide the evidence needed for a conviction.”
Thomas also extended condolences again to the Tamagne family.
“We committed to the family of Wendy that we would seek justice in her murder,” Thomas said. “In this case, we decided to seek the death penalty due to the aggravating factors present. Every murder is cruel by its very nature, but the death in this case was especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel. Our prayers continue to be with Wendy’s family and friends as they move forward after this first-degree murder conviction and sentence.”
This leaves out so much important detail. Godwin was on the medication Effexor(AKA Venlafaxine) without a mood stabilizer and was previously diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. “Venlafaxine is neither recommended nor approved for the treatment of major depressive episodes in bipolar disorder, as it can induce mania or mixed episodes. Venlafaxine appears to be more likely than the SSRIs and bupropion to induce mania and mixed episodes in bipolar patients” (source: https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13020185)
He had been on it 2 weeks, prescribed to him by a physicians assistant who did not look at his mental health record. Abused as a child, several real suicide attempts, one resulting in his heart stopping at the hospital when he was only 17.
Huh? Oh ok. So all of this is just a coincidence? He isn’t sick? He’s never been sick? he’s just a simple evil monster? I understand the pain involved with losing someone under tragic circumstances, but if we continue to simply label people monsters, sweep in under the rug, lock them away and throw away the key, this will continue to happen.
Godwin and Wendy were best friends. They were not lovers with a quarrel, and they were not enemies or had trouble with each other. All of this coupled with an unbelievable amount of alcohol consumed that night (4th of July) humanity seriously wants me to believe he was just some monster all along and this had nothing to do with severe mental illness, alcohol, or drugs? This could happen to ANYONE. This man was not a killer or a monster. What happened was horrible, but there is so much more to this. He was blacked out in a state of complete psychosis; he was NOT himself! And I know, true monster’s use these excuses ALL the time to get off, and that makes me angry because people like Godwin exist who GENUINLY did this out of character and under the influence of mental ailments, improper medication, and alcohol.
but it will continue to happen. Everyday, until something changes.
Bring back State (Mental) Hospitals. And don’t put the mentally ill in prisons. Do we care? Or don’t we?
Hi I am currently corresponding with David, I am interested in how a human being lives each day waiting for death, if those who have left comments on this page previously know David I would love to hear your take on why he did this.
No he’s truly a mentally ill monster I was personally locked up in the same block and Carteret county jail with him and he would sit there in his cell and brag about his crime and hold it with pride I ended up getting 3 months of lockdown because I ended up fighting him because I personally knew the victim and I warned him multiple times to stop My name is Tommy David Anthony Garner you can look me up on DPS I’m no saint myself but I’m definitely no monster Is David Godwin he’s a true monster and there’s a lot more things I wish I could have done when I was locked up in the same block with him but that will make me know different then him He’s a coward a monster and by the way I have meant to illness and I have drank and did drugs while I was on medication and I did black out but I never strangled somebody beat them and cut them up to pieces and if anybody knows anything I used to go hunting all the time deer hunting dismembering anything takes time so you’re going to tell me that he was a blackout stage throughout the entire time I call bull it’s just a lousy excuse He’s a monster and a murder and he deserves exactly what he’s serving he deserves death just like he chose to kill and bring death upon the victim
Like I said I’m 26 years old My name is Tommy David Anthony Garner
My condolences go out for the victim’s family she was a very wonderful person me and my best friend would be at the bar shooting pool all the time and see her with her friends having a great time and I got the pleasure to meet in her a couple times in hanging out with her and her friends with my friends she was a truly a beautiful brilliant bright person it’s so unfortunate that I had to go down the road that he went
Hi jade,
You have nothing to worry about, asking questions isn’t a bad thing, not asking questions is. I wasn’t judgmental in anyway. You are completely overreacting
David Godwin
Told me that his relationship with you was absurd and ridiculous, and asked me not to laugh about it.
Good luck with believing a manipulative, deceitful, person who’s capable of doing what he did, I am sure he’ll talk you off the ledge he needs you, your his link to life outside the walls they keep monsters behind, monsters such as David Godwin aka murderer.
Writing to this guy for months he just wanted to talk rude and wanted money. Feel sorry for the girls above defending him.. he’s a liar.
I’m the origional poster to the person above. I’ve known David half my life, from when he and I were teens, now in our 30’s. I defended him because of personal bias I guess. Since then he has shown his true colors and has betrayed and said mean and nasty things to everyone who loved him or wanted to help him. I’m now convinced he truly is a monster. I wish I could delete my comment above because none of it is true. It wasn’t the meds. He’s just a monster.
Seems he carried on. There’s another now but Jade Olivia new on socials is one he talked slot about – has to be something detrimentally wrong with these girls.
They are in there for a reason.
^ Pretty messed up putting some poor girls name on blast like that.
Well seems like we all messed up then. I wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t on blast.
Not sure who you are or why your interested but if you’re the new chick, I’d be embarrassed. Do better then he wouldn’t have to talk about random chicks. Peace out.
How can he talk about girls on socials when he has no access to social media?
All you ladies in here fawning over this man are insufferable.
He’s never getting out. Anyone crazy enough to fawn over him belongs in there right with him.
Let um rot together. He’d do it to them to, why they believe otherelse is any guess.
Once again I am commenting here. I hate how we can’t delete our previous messages. My comment from April 30, 2022 at 10:05 pm is the most accurate. My comment from February 2, 2023 at 12:23 pm was written out of anger. While it’s true since he was given a tablet he’s turned into a bit of a dick, I can’t say with an honest heart that he really is just a murdering monster. At the end of the day, the truth is it was the meds that pushed this. I am not saying that means he should have gotten off scott free, but I still think it’s an important discussion people should be having as our prisons continue to fill and medications continue to be pushed on everyone from youth to adults. Turn off the TV and read.