Kriti Mehrotra
When Glenn Gordon Godfrey was found heinously murdered inside his Eagle River home near Anchorage, Alaska, on August 3, 2002, it shattered his entire family in more ways than one. That’s because not only was his wife of almost 35 years Patricia Godfrey severely wounded, too, but the remains of another individual were also recovered from a lower level of the estate. All this, along with much more, has since been chronicled in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fatal Love: Affair To End All Aff airs,’ so here are the details of precisely what transpired and why.
Glenn Godfrey Was Shot to Death Inside His Bedroom
Born to Nyda Chichenoff Godfrey and Harold Oliver Godfrey on January 26, 1949, in Kodiak Island, Alaska, Glenn Gordon Godfrey reportedly grew up in a loving, religious household. The qualities of compassion, kindness, and respect were thus ingrained in him at an early age, inadvertently leading to his eventual interest in pursuing a career in public care and safety. In fact, it was not long after he graduated from Kodiak High School in 1967 and married Patricia “Patti” Lee Gugel on August 31 of the same year that he began working towards his dream.
After attending the State Trooper Public Safety Academy in Sitka, Glenn joined the force, transferred to Juneau, and gradually climbed up the ladder until he held the rank of Colonel. He was then appointed Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety in 2000, so he maintained that position right until he retired after 32 years of service on June 30, 2002. The key figure responsible for establishing the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) had decided to step down to focus solely on his family: wife, 4 adult children, and several grandkids. His children are Glenn Godfrey Jr., Gerard Godfrey, Jenna Godfrey, and Valery Godfrey.
Glenn was already a big part of his loved ones’ lives as he ensured to make time for them, do yearly trips, and coach his grandson’s baseball as well as basketball teams, but he wanted more. In fact, he even had a Switzerland trip with Patti on the cards to celebrate their upcoming 35th anniversary and his retirement, yet alas, they never got to board their August 6 flight. That’s because he was killed inside his bedroom in suburban Eagle River in the early hours of August 3 — he was shot twice in the stomach and once in the head, which proved instantaneously fatal. His loving wife was the one to dial 911, reporting that she had also been shot.
Glenn Godfrey and His Wife Were Targeted by His Former Mistress
Although Patti had contacted emergency services within minutes of the attack, it took 48 minutes for help to arrive due to a dispatch database glitch that did not show their home on maps. By that point, her injuries from the four gunshot wounds across her body had worsened to such an extent that her arm was nearly severed, so she was rushed to the Alaska Regional Hospital. While the 52-year-old was being treated, officials made their way further into the house and found the remains of her husband, 53-year-old Glenn, inside their bedroom. They then also found the remains of a 32-year-old woman named Karen Brand on a lower level.
Patti was severely injured, but she thankfully managed to survive and subsequently informed authorities that Karen was the one who had opened fire on the couple on the fateful night. She knew that Karen and Glenn had had a year-long affair because he had come clean at some point earlier in 2002, leading to them briefly separating before she decided to forgive him. Therefore, she claimed she also knew that her husband’s affair was well and truly over by the time they had rekindled, which was something the other woman was deeply distraught over.
According to records, Patti and Glenn had returned home from a good evening out at around 12:30 am on August 3, when they were ambushed by Karen, who had been hiding in their closet. She screamed, “I’ll see you in hell,” as she opened fire on her ex-lover before turning the gun on his wife as she was running up the stairs in the hopes of escaping and calling for help. “If I can’t have him, none of us can,” the assailant told the mother of 4 while pulling the trigger from a .44-caliber handgun 4 times towards her arm, leg, and stomach. “We’ll all burn in hell.”
Karen Brand Died by Suicide After Killing Attacking the Godfreys
After shooting both Glenn and Patti, Karen had reportedly gone downstairs, deeper into their cozy family home, before turning the same assault weapon on herself and taking her own life. When her remains were located, a gun was essentially lying right next to her dominant hand, and that, combined with the bullet wound to her head, indicated she had died by suicide. This initial hypothesis was later confirmed, following which forensic analysis of the weapon, as well as the bullets recovered, also confirmed that the gun was the same one used on the couple.
Further investigations also brought to light the fact that Karen had left a message on the Godfreys’ answering machine hours before the attack, suggesting she and Glenn were still involved. As per records, she had said something like her romance with the married man she met through work was still ongoing, and that she believes Patti should “not be kept in the dark any longer.” Officials then learned this was not the first message the assailant had left the couple, and it was even possible she had previously broken into their home several times, making it clear the attack was happenchance. After all, they believe she had stolen the weapon from the Godfrey house a few days prior to the entire ordeal.
After Settling a Lawsuit Against Anchorage, Patricia “Patti” Godfrey Has Been Focusing on Family and Healing
Although Patti was fortunate that none of her vital organs were injured in the shooting, she suffered a lot as she had a ruptured eardrum, a severed colon, and a shattered upper arm bone. The fact that she lost her husband only added to the anguish, making her furious at not only their assailant but also the municipality of Anchorage and their dispatch call center. According to records, she had given them her address 3 times during the 911 call, but it was not instantly registered, which resulted in emergency services taking 48 minutes to arrive. Hence, she filed a lawsuit, claiming her injuries might not have been as extensive if she had received treatment earlier, which would have been the case if not for the flub and the database glitch.
In the end, with Patti alleging gross negligence and violation of the right to confidentiality in connection with a delayed emergency response, the city of Anchorage settled the lawsuit 2 years later. The widow, mother of 4, and grandmother was awarded a total of $700,000, which she has seemingly since made the most of by evolving into a dispatcher and a survivor’s advocate. She has even penned a memoir titled ‘Broken Pieces Exposed in the Light’ (2024) in the hopes that her story can maybe inspire others when it comes to faith and forgiveness. From what we can tell, the now 76-year-old still resides in Anchorage, Alaska, where she is surrounded by loved ones in the form of her friends, children, and their growing families. Even those family members who live far away often visit her or ensure that she can visit them. In other words, she seems content as of writing, which is all that matters in the long run.
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