Cold Case: 32-Year-Old Man Stabbed Outside Bar in 1984

Steven Godwin was 32 years old when he was stabbed in the chest outside a Windsor Mill Road lounge on October 18, 1984. The case remains open after more than four decades of investigation.

Baltimore County Police have asked the public for new information regarding the death. Godwin had been inside the Corinthian Lounge having a drink. His father worked as the night manager in the store's package goods section. Godwin said goodbye to his father and exited through a side door toward the parking lot.

Cpl. Dona Carter of the Cold Case Unit described the speed of the attack. "Everything happened so quickly," Carter said. "He just walks out the door and they literally say it's seconds that he walks back and he's stabbed in the chest." Bystanders attempted to assist Godwin, but he was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators have not identified a clear motive. Godwin still had $60 in cash on his person at the time of his death, which suggests robbery was not the primary driver. Police found no evidence of a bar fight. Earlier that evening, Godwin had stepped outside to help another person change a tire. He worked at a nearby Chevrolet dealership and had been married several times.

Carter noted that friends and family did not report any specific conflicts. "There was nobody that said that they had any particular problems with him," Carter said. "There was nobody that stood out that he was having issues with or anything like that." The murder weapon was never recovered. Carter explained that Godwin's blood contaminated much of the physical evidence, complicating DNA testing.

"Because he was stabbed, maybe somebody came home that night and was wearing bloody clothing or came home with a bloody knife," Carter said. "The murder weapon's never been recovered. So somebody out there knows what happened and we just need somebody to come forward." The Corinthian Lounge still operates at its original location on Windsor Mill Road.

Police posted about the case earlier this month. The agency is asking anyone with information about the night of October 18, 1984, to call 410-887-3943.