5 key details about Vonda and Angel Goyena's double murder

The upcoming episode of Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20 will cover the brutal double murder of Vonda and Angel Goyena, who were ferociously stabbed to death in their own home in Norfolk, Virginia. The case garnered significant attention in 2007 and continues to serve as a chilling reminder of a romance gone wrong.

This episode will be the subject of Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20's upcoming episode, titled Betrayed. It will premiere on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 10 pm EST. A brief synopsis for the episode reads:

"A bride-to-be and her mother are murdered just weeks before the wedding. The investigation leads police to a bizarre trail of clues, including taunting letters from the killer."

This case is riddled with small but consequential details that give a better understanding of the case. Before the episode, let’s review five such details regarding the double murder of Vonda and Angel Goyena.

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5 key details about the murders of Vonda and Angel Goyena

1) Vonda and Angel Goyena were murdered by someone they knew

When the brutally stabbed bodies of Vonda and Angel Goyena were found in their Norfolk home, authorities were certain that this was done by someone who knew them. This was because there were no signs of forced entry, and the sheer brutality with which the crime was committed hinted that someone who knew them did it, and purposely so.

However, almost everyone who could have committed the crime, including Angel's fiancé, David Hoshaw, had a solid alibi.

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2) The police received a couple of letters from the killer two weeks after the murder, and these were instrumental in getting to the killer

Although the murderer was unaware of it at the time, the two letters he sent to the police—taunting them and claiming responsibility for killing the two women after Angel had rejected his advances—ultimately led to his downfall.

Nearly two years later, the police used David's cell phone records and credit card receipts to establish that he was in the vicinity of the post offices from where the letters were mailed.

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3) David Hoshaw started showing concerning signs, the more investigators looked into him

While David initially appeared to have an airtight alibi, certain aspects about him stood out. For one, he did not attend Angel Goyena's funeral, and soon after, he moved to Michigan to live with another woman, Amanda.

Furthermore, friends of Angel claimed that he had reportedly become distant in the months leading up to the wedding. His ex-wives later revealed his abusive traits as well. It was also discovered that he began dating Amanda while he was still involved with Angel.

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4) David Hoshaw was arrested based on circumstantial evidence, but soon gave away more

While Hoshaw was initially arrested only based on circumstantial evidence, he soon confessed to the murder unintentionally. This happened when Amanda came to see him, and the police left them alone to observe from behind a one-way mirror.

When they were alone, Hoshaw admitted to murdering Angel Goyena and her mother, Vonda. He also admitted to sending the letters to the police to get them off track.

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5) David Hoshaw ultimately pleaded guilty to the murders

When he confessed in front of the police, he was finally trapped. To avoid the death penalty, he accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated today.

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The upcoming episode of Bad Romance will cover this case in further detail.