Man convicted 17 years after victim beaten to death, set on fire - WKRN, Nashville News, Nashville Weather and Sports

A Nashville man was convicted on Wednesday 17 years after beating a woman to death and setting her on fire.

James Washington will spend at least 51 years behind bars for the 1995 death of Joyce Goodner.

The 35-year-old woman was found dead by firefighters inside an abandoned home on Ashland City Highway.

Authorities said Goodner had been stabbed, beaten to death, rolled in a rug and set on fire.

Washington is currently jailed on a 15 year sentence for a 2006 attempted second-degree murder conviction.

Washington is said to have confessed to Goodner's murder while being hospitalized in 2009.