Dr. Maurice Godwin

Biography

Maurice Godwin, PhD, specializes in investigative psychology, crime scene analysis, missing persons, and geographic profiling of abductors and serial murderers. In this capacity, he has aided local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and is a frequent commentator for the media in high-profile cases.

Dr. Godwin’s perspective is unique. He started as a beat cop in a small rural town in North Carolina and was the first American to obtain a doctorate in investigative psychology from the University of Liverpool. Dr. Godwin’s expertise and scientific research in areas of psychology, criminal behavior, and criminology distinctly sets him apart from the vast number of forensic profilers who rely on intuitive-based opinions.

Dr. Godwin has appeared on numerous national TV shows, including Greta Van Susteren, Hardball with Chris Matthews, and recently Dr. Oz., He has provided expert commentary on news segments on MSNBC, CNN, and FOX. Dr. Godwin accurately profiled the Washington, DC, sniper case. He was a consultant for CNN during the sniper terror and accurately predicted the target areas in Maryland and correctly contradicted other profilers about the triggering event. Dr. Godwin was a forensic expert on the Up and Vanished Podcast about the disappearance of Tara Grinstead from South Georgia. Currently, he is the expert advisor for the Hide and Seek podcast, which explores 2009 disappearance of Nancy Moyer, Tenino, WA.

Dr. Godwin has written or contributed to significant books in the field of forensics and serial killers: He wrote the highly regarded textbook Hunting Serial Predators: A Multivariate Approach to Profiling Violent Behavior (Jones & Bartlett, 2008, now in its third edition). In Search of Derrick Todd Lee: The Internet Social Movement That Made a Difference (University Press of America, 2007) was written by another author but focused on Dr. Godwin’s work in the Baton Rouge serial murder case. He is the coauthor of Slave Master, the true crime story of Internet serial killer John Robinson (Pinnacle) and Tracker: Hunting Down Serial Killers (Perseus Books).

Dr. Godwin runs his own trial and forensic consultancy group. He lives in Fayetteville, NC with his wife Helen and their dog Lilly.