Did The Doctor Kill The Doctor?

A 48 Hours Mystery Exclusive

(CBS)  This episode was originally broadcast Oct. 25, 2008. It was updated on June 13, 2009.

Dr. Linda Goudey was found murdered in her car in October 1993. At the time, she had been dating Dr. Timothy Stryker, who quickly became a suspect in the case.

Depending on whom you believe, Stryker is either a calculating murderer, or an innocent man, desperately trying to clear his name.

To look at him today at age 56, you'd never know Stryker has spent 15 years dogged by such terrible suspicions. "It makes me sad, you know, that people could think this way about me," he tells correspondent Richard Schlesinger.

He built a successful endocrinology practice, and a family, in a quiet Boston suburb.

Stryker's wife of 14 years, Micael, says her husband has never shown signs of violence. "He's not a guy who loses it or somehow has an altered persona that shows up."

And, she'd probably know what to look for - she’s a psychotherapist.

"He does present this very cool exterior…very flat, very unemotional, very in control," Schlesinger remarks. "Which makes you wonder what's going on behind the front, behind the façade? Do you think you know?"

"Yes, I absolutely know," Micael says. "I'm sure I know. I think it's very simple with him. I think he's just a very sincere, extremely gentle and even delicate person. He at all times looks to do good to the people around him."

That might be one reason he decided to become a doctor. "I just knew it from a very young age, that's what I wanted to do. It's my nature to want to help people."

It was one thing he had in common with Lin Goudey. By all accounts, she was driven - she earned top honors in high school, and eventually went to medical school while working as a medical technician. She was a successful OB/GYN, specializing in high-risk pregnancies.

Paula Dennett is a nutritionist who worked closely with Goudey. "She was new to the field, but you never thought she was just a rookie. You know, she knew what she was doing and I'd say she was one of the more respected physicians there in terms of if you're having a problem or a complex pregnancy, Dr. Goudey's the one to go to."

Lisa Zolot was one of Goudey's patients who noticed right away that there was something special about her. "Lynn was very good at sixth sense, knowing when things are wrong," she remembers.

On a routine visit, Goudey had a sense that Lisa’s unborn baby was in danger. "She decided that I should have the C-section right away because something was wrong. And after she made the incision there was bleeding everywhere. She just had a sixth sense that something was wrong. And she was right. Without her, my daughter wouldn't be here," Lisa says.

From that day forward, Lisa and Lin became good friends. "We just clicked. We just clicked. It was just one-a those things. We just became friends. It was easy, you know."

Goudey made a lot of friends around the hospital, including Dr. Timothy Stryker. "We met over lunches at the hospital, and we started to share patients, because I would refer patients to her as a gynecologist," he says.

Before long, their work relationship did evolve into something more. "We would sit and read together at night, and do movies, and she gotten me into skiing during the winter. And then I got her into scuba diving in the Caribbean trips that we took together," he says.

And they also both practiced transcendental meditation, a method of relaxation that followers say focuses the mind.

"It was just a lovely way to see how they interacted with each other, you know, that they would have fun together," remembers Tim's sister Jean Stryker, who used to work for Lin. "They would often share the cooking responsibilities and the clean up. But I always saw them interacting very positively toward each other."

By 1993, four years after they started dating, things really seemed to be going well for the couple. Goudey and Stryker were both at the peak of their careers, and their relationship seemed steady.

They kept spending time together and had even planned a vacation together to the Caribbean for some scuba diving.

Stryker says she was looking forward to the trip. "She was actually the one that made the reservations for the trip. And it was her idea. She was very happy about it."

But Goudey never took the trip, because just weeks before they were to leave she had a dream. "In this dream she had this vision of being in a car, I think it was on the side of a mountain, and driving around. Then seeing a plane go crash into the side of the mountain, and she took this as some possible bad omen that perhaps, you know, we might have a plane crash," Stryker says.

Lisa says Lin wasn't going to go on the vacation after that dream. "She had thought that it wasn't a good idea, and that she was not gonna go."

But that’s not what Stryker says: "She never said that she wasn't going."

Lin's dream, her plans and premonitions were about to become more important than anyone could have imagined.

[carolcape]

I just watched this show, A COLD BLOODED PERSON, And I do believe he murdered his girlfriend. He had all of her belongings in his apartment. He has tried to get a witness after the Civil Case. He is a liar. Did you notice, he did not blink once during the interview. What drug did he take to keep from blinking. I have no idea why he was not charged initially with this crime, total incompetence of the police department. I do hope that he gets charged with murder in Criminal Court. Imagine going on a cruise when your fiance is being laid to rest, oh yeah, momma told him to go. Give me a break. Okay, maybe I''m overreacting.

[dallasviewer]

I noticed he *did* blink rapidly a few times - when he was saying things like, "I did not kill her". IOW, at times when it looked like he was lying.

I''m guessing, based on what was aired, that there would have been little or no case if Linda''s belongings had not been found at Stryker''s house. He must have been quite confident at the murder couldn''t be pinned on him.

Fortunately, the perjury trial is coming up next year, and perhaps he''ll do some time after all.

[dallasviewer]

I noticed he *did* blink rapidly a few times - when he was saying things like, "I did not kill her". IOW, at times when it looked like he was lying.

I''m guessing, based on what was aired, that there would have been little or no case if Linda''s belongings had not been found at Stryker''s house. He must have been quite confident that the murder couldn''t be pinned on him.

Fortunately, the perjury trial is coming up next year, and perhaps he''ll do some time after all.

[guest173]

I believe his actions are very suspicious, especially trying to get fake witnesses should be a big clue. It is strange his wife says he is never violent to her, I wonder how he could have changed so much, or if she is also lying or covering so her world doesn''t fall apart. I was in a domestic violence relationship, and I don''t believe the abuser can really change themselves even if they want to, without a serious change and intervention. maybe Stryker''s love for money is helping keep him calm enough (the only other option is continue rampaging and go to jail for murder)

[efel144623]

I was around when this happened and when I was referred to Dr Stryker I would not go I found another endocrinologist because I believed from the start he was guilty. His wife must live in another world because people really don''t change or perhaps she feels doing what she is told is best for her

[srz25]

QUIT BEING SO STUPID! THERE WILL BE NO HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA! I GOT YOUR HEALTHCARE RIGHT FREAKIN'''' HERE!!:

yeah hi, do you believe a judge should go to prison for attempting to rule that attempted murder by forcible suffocation not only isn''''t a crime at all in florida, it isn''''t a tort at all in florida, in fact it''''s a medical procedure, for which priviledge i''''m forced to give the state my whole life savings?

doesn''''t that sound bad?

this is a real lawsuit, orange co. case # 2003 ca 5314. i am totally unrepresented, haven''''t been able to find a lawyer in 7 years. the judge is cynthia mackinnon, and if i could fire her i would have fired her four years ago. after all this time i still have no clue whether she is republican or democrat.

[wright1233]

I''ll give you 1 FACT, which contradict what District Attorney Gerry Leone said. It is disappointing to hear him LIE so blatantly on TV.

1) After Pizzano came forward as a witness, per the Tewsbury Police Arrest Status Report, Pizzano was arrested for his third drunk while driving on 06/23/2007.
Link: http://www.tewksburypd.org/Arrest%20Log/June%202007.pdf

Pizzano should have gone to jail for his third offense but he wasn%u2019t. Why? Because the District Attorney worked out a deal with Pizzano, in exchange for changing his testimony and saying that Dr. Stryker made up the story & recruited Pizzano by saying he''d give him money. Note that when convicted of a third offense you get a mandatory 150-day sentence and the judge may sentence you up to 5 years in prison. You license will be revoked for 8 years. This is per the police, see link at http://www.police.edgartown.ma.us/dwi2.htm

District Attorney says Pizzano volunteered to change his testimony. His incentive was to avoid going to jail. Why else would he have perjured himself? The D.A. also pardoned him for perjury.

Asked how District Attorney Leone knows when the guy (Craig Pizzano) is lying, Leone says, "Well, Craig, ultimately Craig will swear to tell the truth, and he''ll tell the truth. But, he''ll also in swearing to tell the truth tell the fact that he lied as well."

Are you going to believe someone who said that he lied, but now he''s telling the truth, and by the way, avoid jail?

[jmfromla]

yes i believe Pizzano lied, what other reason after 15 years would he have to all of the sudden come forward with a story that only benefited Dr. Striker? The proof is Dr. Striker (funny name isn't it)
was caught in his own lie when he said he didn't know him, phone records proved tht was a lie, so the house of cards Striker built fell on that one. As well as the most absurd fabricated story I have ever heard, "one car in the parking lot" and your going to pull up next to it to have sex, wouldn't you park far away from it if that was your plan? and then to interupt a stranger having sex to ask for a condom? huh? that is just the most ridiculous concocted load of crap, I wa screaming at the tv when I heard that!!! hey wright1233 if you believe that I have some swapland in florida for sale.
common! so what is the prosecutor made a deal to get hi roll over on the doc, that doc was never gonna willing pay out the money to the famiy, he is the coldest most evil person I hve ever seen, I got chills just watching him, the true victoms beside the dead Dr. are his children. Imagine having him for a father!!!

[winnywinny1]

I''m glad I wasn''t the only one to notice that Dr. Stryker rarely blinked during his answers in this interview. That, taken with the tone and cadence of his voice, made me feel as though he was almost assuming another personality to deal with this situation, either by force of personality or through some other means (perhaps medicinal). Something just isn''t right at all.

[erasmus81]

"And things started to get hot and heavy between him and this girl he picked up. And he walked over to their car to actually ask for a condom..."

And like who is going to believe that?

Who is going to walk up to some strangers car and ask for a condom???

[hennighg]

Heck, I''m not even that smart and I can tell where to point the finger. That guy is CREEPY. That soft spoken voice and open eyed eye contact scares me to death. The stuff the victim had with her THAT NIGHT and the sudden witness who wasn''t a witness after all. Shoot me.

[srz25]

doctor''s are such good human beings, aren''t they?


you can forget about healthcare forever and here''''s why:

yeah hi, do you believe a judge should go to prison for attempting to rule that attempted murder by forcible suffocation not only isn''''''''t a crime at all in florida, it isn''''''''t a tort at all in florida, in fact it''''''''s a medical procedure, for which priviledge i''''''''m forced to give the state my whole life savings?

doesn''''''''t that sound bad?

this is a real lawsuit, orange co. case # 2003 ca 5314. i am totally unrepresented, haven''''''''t been able to find a lawyer in 7 years. the judge is cynthia mackinnon, and if i could fire her i would have fired her four years ago. after all this time i still have no clue whether she is republican or democrat.

[roscoezzz]

I can''t believe the good doctor went on that vacation instead of attending his own wife''s funeral. I thought he loved and cared for her so deeply. I guess not.

He won me over. I didn''t think he killed his wife. That is until the end of 48 Hrs. How stupid of him to even think of hiring anyone to lie for him. It shows how manipulative he really is.

His new wife is as blind as a bat too. Who knows what kind of Love it is huh?

[calicocat6]

Message for roecoezzz: They were never married.

[belle02474]

The Dr is guilty as sin. It''s too bad you did not up date your story a little more. He and his wife are no longer together. She left him! He has a new girfriend. This creep will stop at nothing to save his butt. He has recked more than one family!!

[Sicariu]

Anyone remember the classic Dr.Murder case? It was a well known book by Thomas? Thompson. The Dr''s name was "Hill"-he was a plastic surgeon who killed his socialite wife and got away with it, until his father in law had him killed. The father in law also got away with murder. (I wonder if he is still alive).
This physician reminded me of Hill.

[carolcape]

This man is a cold blooded killer. I have seen this show previously. He comes along as Mr. Perfect, so articulate, cold and calculating. He did not even blink when telling all these lies. I wonder if there is some medication he took before this interview, like something to keep his eyes from blinking. I never saw anybody in my life that talked as long as he did without blinking. There was just a murder in Kentucky, my cousin was murdered by her husband Dr. Stephen Hall and that was just two weeks ago Friday. His wife had a horrible death. Of course, her mom and dad are devastated and just can't believe that Mr. Hall killed her intentionally. There were witnesses that said he deliberately ran over her with a boat. He pushed her off it and ran over her, he gunned the boat towards her and killed her. It is so very sad for eveyone. Domestic violence is the silent killer and there is so much of it. If you don't feel safe in your relationship, get out, and don't try to put on a good show that everything is just peachy. If you have an abusive man or woman, get out, get a fresh start, life is short enough without living in fear in your own home. He is guilty, Dr. Stryker. There are more Dr. Jekyl's out there then we think.

[hercule1122]

I think the case is absolutely clear and don't understand why so many years were taken to pursue it. The creep flunked the lie detector exam, and then would no longer cooperate. Why is law inforcement so incompetent? It took the family to take him to court to obtain a judgment. Then some scumbag comes forwrad to say , yeah, he saw them 15 years earlier? This so-called doctor is really stupid to set up this scenario. He deserves to rot in jail and be someones bf there for the rest of his life. Small justice...

[jmfromla]

OMG!!! this man is a iceberg!! I have never seen such a cold human being.
He is a liar and of course he murdered his girlfriend. obviously he lost is cool and strangled her. who else would want to? he is a true sociopath, he has the emotion of a fish. Finally he getting his just deserve. I was glad to see he lost his medical license, what a hideous person and too bad his second wife had children with him, she must be one very desperate stupid woman, but it's difficult to put your hed in the sand when the truth i blaring right at you, talk about denial. she is just lucky she did't **** him off..

[jmfromla]

My gut is wrenching over how smug and absolutely arrogant Dr. Stiker is, It just makes my skin crawl, as is he sat there on national tv and bold faced lied. So unemotional and calm. Tryin to justify going on vaction when his girlfriend was being laid to rest after a brutal murder.. cold cold cold!!! He is such a egotist, he actually believes he is smart enough to get away with murder!
Thank GOD family was persistent and won their civil case, if not he might have actually gotten away with it.
What a snake, just like OJ Simpson!! He had not one once of remorse and neither does this killer!! Nor any intention of paying the family one cent of his judgement. Lucky for the family his greed got the best of him and now he will go to jail! GREED IS EXPENSIVE!! I hope now that he was caught with his pants down, the prosecutor can put a solid case againest him for the murder. It's pretty obvious he killed her.
Did anyone notice how emotional his wife suddenly got when the lawyer was describing how Striker choked the life out of his girlfriend. That lawyer was great!! he was so descriptive and made it so real, that it woke up his wife to the REALITY that he did killed her, that was what made her so emotional and forced her into a emotional breakdown.. Finally she got her head out of the sand!! Now after he lost and won't have any money and of course getting caught trying to conspire and con his way out of paying, is pretty difficult for her to try sugar coat. finally she is divorcing him. WOW, she sure needed a bat to wake her up, jeeze woman..

[jabailo]

This story is repeated so often, it's painful.

The scenario is that of a high strung male, very controlling, who has to deal with a headstrong female. Initially, he may be in control, with his partner infatuated. But when that wears off, and his power over the other person dwindles, he may lash out in a violent and tragic way.

A few notes on forensics. When Dr. Stryker was apprehended, did the police look for marks on his hands or body indicating a struggle during the strangulation? Were there any drugs in the victim's system (such as an anethesic or something to keep her from struggling)?

There was no mention of relationships the woman may have had outside their relationship. That is the kind of trigger that would set off the male in a violent way.

Also, I didn't hear about Stryker's 'alibi'. Where was he on the night of the murder? Any witnesses?

Where did the carpet or material that the body was wrapped in come from? Was it something from Stryker's apartment as well..or something that could have been traced with recipients, or found in a local store?

I thought that the real tragedy may have been the chemistry between two headstrong "beaultiful people"...however, they mentioned that Stryker had a history of violence towards his partners.

[BriantheHound]

Is anyone else growing tired or rereading old cases posted on here? Come on, there are plenty of cases to write about. How about some FRESH material instead of the typical "this was originally aired/released on such and such a date" This used to be one of my favorite sites. It's boring now. This story is OLD and was already featured on here...........

[cepe10-2009]

The jury must have been completely brain dead to find him guilty with no evidence whatsoever. A really scary judicial system in the U.S. The guilty are easily convicted with corrupt judges and a jury of complete morons.

[casionova]

But come on, the guy doesnt blink! Surely thats all the proof people need to find him guilty... </sarcasm>

In response to an earlier comment about what kind of person would ask at a strangers car for a condom, a drunk and lusty 18 year old would.

[aChangeOfIdeas]

I don't believe the psychotherapist wife. I just watched the show where the psychologist got wrapped up in a relationship with a complete control-freak who separated her from her family, convinced her he was a spy and they were going to live in a spy-lighthouse, meanwhile swindling her of all her money and then trying to get her parents money. If a psychologist can be deluded like that, so can this psychotherapist.

[csi-lover]

Please see my comments with the video portion on Dr. Stryker.

CSI-lover

[csi-lover]

Here it is. I copied and pasted it from the comments found in the video portion on Dr. Stryker.

Dr. Stryker is a pschopath. His non-chalant demeaner and soft spoken voice is only a cover for his inner demons. Now in prison for perjury, perhaps the police and investigators will find enough evidence to put him away for murdering his girlfriend. How stupid can someone be to lie and make up a story about someone else committing the murder years later. He lied to everyone on tv about this. No evidence found clearly shows how a doctor knew what he was doing; he used surgical gloves to choke her. When someone says they don't want to go on a vacation, get the clue doctor. You can't force anyone to do what you want. With no more control left over her, he kills her and goes off on a vacation by himself anyway. This is what psychopaths are all about; no feelings or remorse for their actions. Did you see him cry on tv at all? Did you see him get mad and determined to find the "real" killer? No, instead we had to listen to his soft, calculating voice and listen to his lies. See how he turns things around during the interview; I didn't say that, they must have said it differently. Even a doctor can make stupid mistakes. But this guy won't be able to lie himself out of this one.

[TheMasses0003]

It's scary all the assumptions made by you people on this man's guilt/innosence having no knowledge of the facts.
Nothing a good waterboarding session wouldn't cure though.
Carry on ....................

[hercule1122]

to Themasses003....
Which law school did you graduate from? Do not denigrate others who disagree with you. I assure you I have probably three more degrees than you, but you are welcome to your deluded opinion. You belong with the jurors on the OJ trial who did not have a clue.