Update 1/27/20 – New information has been released surrounding the death of Walter Lampkins, who was trapped inside a storage unit when a fire ignited on Jan. 18. Although the blaze is still under investigation, officials believe it might have originated from a space heater inside the unit Goff rented and Walter Lampkins occupied. He’d been sleeping in it for several days, police said.
Surveillance video shows Goff closing and locking the unit before leaving the facility. No one else was recorded entering or exiting the unit before or after the fire, according to a criminal affidavit filed by Marty Lloyd, a detective with the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Lloyd also stated that she could see the fire burning inside the unit and Lampkins trying to free himself.
Lampkins’ daughter, Abigail Lampkins, and her mother, Heather Lampkins, who was still married to but estranged from the victim, are now questioning whether there was any intention or premeditation on Goff’s part. Abigail Lampkins said her father had always been able to freely access the storage unit and Goff never locked it until that day, according to a source.
Abigail Lampkins last saw her father on Jan. 15 at the Econo Lodge, where he was staying with Goff, who lived and worked at the motel. “A majority of the time, he was in the motel room. Here and there, he would stay in the [storage] building,” she said, adding that he often visited the space after the couple fought and that he “couldn’t stand” Goff but depended on her for necessities. She encouraged her dad to cut ties with Goff, whom he’d known since high school, a source stated. She added that her father didn’t have a job, driver’s license or phone, but had been improving his situation over the past year.
Both Goff and Walter Lampkins have pending charges or convictions. Goff has been convicted of shoplifting, driving on a suspended license, credit card forgery and embezzlement. Walter Lampkins was convicted of marijuana possession and driving on a suspended license. He also had a pending drug charge in Smyth County, Va.
Goff is being held without bail at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon, Va.
1/22/20 – Police have arrested a woman they believe locked a man in a Glade Spring, Va., self-storage unit on Saturday before it caught fire and claimed his life. Walter Brian Lampkins, 48, was trapped at Glade Spring Mini Storage when the blaze ignited just after 1:30 p.m. The fire at 33359 Lee Highway was likely sparked by a heater in another unit, then quickly spread, according to a source. In all, 25 units were damaged.
Kelly Goff, who has a child with Lampkins and once lived with him, has been charged with abduction and manslaughter. Lampkins may have been living in the unit, sources reported. Goff works at a motel next door.
When fire crews arrived, they discovered smoke coming from half of one row of buildings. “During the time we were trying to make our initial attack, we had a bystander come up and say there was a possibility of a civilian in the building somewhere,” said Ricky Stumbo, assistant fire chief for the Glade Spring Department.
It took crews about 10 minutes to get the fire under control. As they removed burnt debris from the units, they discovered a body. Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis later confirmed Lampkins’ identity.
Sources:
Herald Courier, WCSO: Woman Arrested in Fatal Glade Spring Storage Unit Fire
WCYB, Sheriff: Woman Who Burned Man to Death Used to Live With Him, Had a Child Together
Bristol Herald Courier, Affidavit: Woman Locked Burning Storage Unit Door From Outside
Bristol Herald Courier, Family Says Man Killed in Glade Spring Storage Unit Needed Help
