A life of achievement taken by a life of crime.
Rhode Island is reeling after one of its most cherished musicians — a Grammy-nominated legend — was killed during a peaceful morning dog walk, allegedly by a career criminal who somehow kept slipping through the cracks of the soft-on-crime system.
Authorities say 70-year-old Roderick MacLeod, a beloved bassist, Brown University teaching associate, and longtime volunteer fire commissioner, stood no chance Saturday morning when 41-year-old Shannon Godbout — a woman with a jaw-dropping 100+ arrests, 82 court warrants, and 40 traffic citations — allegedly veered wildly out of her lane in Hopkinton around 7:20 a.m.
Police say Godbout plowed into “multiple objects, including two telephone poles,” before striking MacLeod as he walked his dog along the shoulder. The decorated musician was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital but was tragically pronounced dead.
In a small miracle, MacLeod’s dog survived and ran home, police confirmed — a haunting reminder of how close this came to being a double tragedy.
And as if the scene needed to be any more enraging, investigators say Godbout was found at the crash site with “numerous illegal narcotics and packaging materials commonly associated with drug distribution.” She now faces charges of driving so as to endanger, resulting in death, and possession of narcotics, Schedule I/II, with intent to distribute, 3rd plus offense.
This time, police say, she’ll be presented to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office as a criminal violator. Many are wondering why that didn’t happen dozens of arrests ago.
While Godbout’s record reads like a case study in the failures of revolving-door justice, MacLeod’s life was the opposite — defined by talent, service, and generosity.
A member of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, MacLeod gained national acclaim with the band Roomful of Blues, earning a Grammy nomination in the 1980s. He later dedicated himself to education at Brown University as a teaching associate and director of the Old-Time String Band.
He also gave more than half a century — 51 years — to the New Hackensack Fire Department, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners.
Friends say his spirit matched his résumé. Old friend and fellow musician Doug James told WJAR he’ll never forget MacLeod’s “upbeat and cheerful” presence.
“He was always great to be around and he was always great to play with. 100% of the people that know him would say exactly the same thing.”
MacLeod leaves behind his wife of nearly 47 years, Karen, daughter Kate (Manny) Valdivia, and grandchildren Mance, Roddy, Ruthanne, and Megan.
How many more innocent people must die before leaders get serious about habitual offenders?
