LAFAYETTE – A federal judge this week sentenced a Mansura man to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to a carjacking that left a Lafayette Parish woman dead, prosecutors announced Friday.

Ella Goodie was a ride-share driver who had offered to help Brandon Jermaine Francisco, 39, get to Missouri. 

According to prosecutors, Francisco was attempting to avoid an attempted murder charge and contacted Goodie, who agreed to take him to Houston. After meeting in Lafayette and driving to Houston, the pair returned to Louisiana and near the town of Iowa, Louisiana, on March 9, 2022, Francisco carjacked her, prosecutors said.

It wasn't clear why the pair returned to Louisiana after traveling to Houston.

Prosecutors say Francisco shot Goodie several times and disposed of her body before taking her car to Missouri, where he was caught with the gun that killed the woman and with the key fob for her vehicle.

“While no prison sentence can repay or erase the loss suffered by the victim’s family, including her young children, this case reflects our commitment alongside our state and federal partners to hold violent offenders accountable and pursue justice for victims," U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said.

Goodie had two daughters ages 13 and 14 at the time of her death. She had told them she was driving someone to Houston, but never returned, media accounts from 2022 show.

Francisco had been accused of taking part in a Cheneyville shooting and carjacking in 2018.