Shane Goldsby described it as like ‘hitting the jackpot in the casino seven times’ when he was paired up with Robert Munger at the Airways Heights Corrections Center in Washington
Shane Goldsby was sentenced to just under 25 years for the murder (Image: Kelso Police Department)
A prisoner murdered his cellmate after discovering he had been locked up with the monster who raped his little sister.
Shane Goldsby, then 25, was caught on camera stomping on Robert Munger’s head on June 2, 2020. The 70-year-old was serving a 43-year term for child rape, child molestation and possession of child pornography. Goldsby reportedly expressed disbelief he was sharing a cell at the Airways Heights Corrections Center in Washington, US with the individual who had violated his sister, who was a minor at the time. He said, a month after the killing: “This stuff doesn’t happen. You’re talking the same institution, the same unit, the same pod in the same cell as this dude. That’s like hitting the jackpot in the casino seven times.”
At the time, Goldsby was serving time for stealing a police car. An investigation by authorities found that due to different surnames among family members, no connection was identified between the two men, reported the Spokesman-Review. Goldsby revealed the situation escalated as Munger was sharing details about, “what happened and what he did. About the photos and videos of doing this stuff, it was building up.” He reportedly claimed that, despite repeatedly requesting to be relocated to a different cell, his pleas were ignored. “When I showed up in that unit, I walked out of that pod, went to an office and said ‘Hey, I need a new cellie,’” he told KHQ.
Robert Munger was serving a 43-year sentence for multiple sex offences (Image: Kelso Police Department)
Goldsby apologised to Munger’s family for what he did(Image: Washington Department of Corrections)
In addition, no prison officer responded when Goldsby activated an emergency cell button prior to the incident. He went on: “So, in my head, I’m not in my head at this point in time. I’m completely feeling like this is what they wanted to happen.” In August 2021, Goldsby was sentenced to a further 298 months – almost 25 years – in prison for the murder. He offered an apology to the deceased man’s family, with his solicitor delivering a statement after the defendant became too emotional to continue.
It read: “I’m ashamed of my actions, I was put into a situation that I don’t wish on nobody. I got a lot of fixing to do. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one in this kind of way. To (Munger’s) wife and his whole family I apologise. I am so sorry and I hope you are able to heal from what I caused.”
During the hearing it was noted that Goldsby was abused by his drug-addicted mother and was occasionally chained outside like an animal. He then went through 10 different foster homes after social services rescued him. However, his mum eventually reconnected with him and they began using drugs together. By the age of 22, he was in prison in the intensive management unit, but was eventually transferred to Airway Heights prison, where he came across Munger.
The Washington Department of Corrections described it as an “unfortunate and complicated incident.” It added while a cellmate policy should have prevented the two inmates from being housed in the same cell, “screeners had no knowledge about the connection between Goldsby and Munger when they were placed together.”