Deadly 'Pen Pals'
Aaron and Victoria married in 2020, several years into Aaron’s tenure on the paranormal mystery series. Friends and fans saw a relationship that appeared affectionate and relatively private. Aaron occasionally posted photographs of their travels, filming locations or small domestic moments. Nothing publicly suggested turmoil, but according to reports, their marriage had been strained for months.
In 2024, Victoria watched the true-crime docuseries Ctrl + Alt + Desire, which chronicled the case of Grant Amato. Amato was serving a life sentence in a Florida prison for the 2019 murder of his parents and brother, orchestrated after his father kicked him out of the family home for continuing to communicate with a webcam model with whom Amato was obsessed.
Fascinated by Amato’s story, Victoria contacted him via Facebook, and the two then began talking via a contraband cell phone Amato had in prison. The pair quickly bonded, sending messages about how they were “in love.” Goodwin revealed struggles in her marriage to Aaron and her fantasies of being with Amato, but she did not think Aaron would agree to a divorce.
The messages painted a picture sharply at odds with the public perception of the couple. Prosecutors argued that while Aaron was working on the road filming episodes, his wife was cultivating a secret relationship with a convicted murderer and discussing ways to remove her husband entirely.
Victoria and Amato began discussing the possibility of hiring a hitman to kill Aaron, with Amato acting as the intermediary with the potential hitman. Victoria seemed to recognize the severity of the plot, texting Amato, “Am I a bad person?” When Amato asked why she felt that way, Victoria responded, “Because I chose to end his existence.”
The plan was to kill Aaron while he was away filming in California in October 2024. Victoria provided information about his location, which Amato passed along, telling the hitman, “He’s asleep right now in the hotel room…I need to know what’s going on. Can I get an update? Was it done?” It remains unclear why the planned murder never occurred, but Aaron survived the deadly plot.
Arrest and Plea Deal
The case began to unravel when the Florida Department of Corrections discovered Amato’s contraband cell phone. During a review of its contents, investigators found long exchanges with a woman in Nevada, later identified as Victoria. The conversations referenced hiring a hitman, payment arrangements and instructions about when and how Aaron could be targeted.
Florida law enforcement informed Las Vegas officials, who began investigating. Prosecutors said discussions included plans for a $2,500 upfront payment and deposits totaling more than $11,000.
When questioned by detectives, Victoria downplayed her communications about being with Amato as “fantasy,” claimed she didn’t remember sending certain messages and said she believed the money she was sending Amato was for his cell phone. Prosecutors argued the volume and nature of the texts showed clear intent.
On March 6, 2025, detectives served a search warrant at the Goodwins’ Las Vegas home, and Victoria was arrested that same day. Aaron’s reaction to learning of her arrest was captured on camera, as he was filming an episode of his show that day.
A week later, Aaron filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
In court appearances that followed, Victoria stood silent beside her attorney as prosecutors laid out the evidence collected from the Florida inmate’s phone. By early April, facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence if convicted at trial, she agreed to a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, and prosecutors dropped the separate solicitation charge.
On June 5, Victoria was sentenced to 36 to 90 months in prison. During the sentencing hearing, she apologized to Aaron, her parents and the court, acknowledging wrongdoing and saying she was ashamed of what she had done. Aaron attended the sentencing, having filed for divorce in March, and described the ordeal as devastating and said he no longer felt safe knowing how close the plot had come to being carried out. He said the betrayal had left him struggling to trust and that he’d entered therapy to deal with the trauma.
Though prosecutors did not identify any additional co-conspirators by name, the investigation into Victoria’s communications with the Amato is formally closed, and no further charges have been announced.
The case drew national attention not only for its sensational details but also for the way it unfolded: a private, extreme marital breakdown revealed only because a prison cell phone was seized hundreds of miles away. The events provide a stark reminder that behind even seemingly happy and ordinary relationships sometimes lie the darkest of secrets.
