Moment Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin learned his wife had hired a hitman to kill him

Aaron Goodwin discovered that his wife Victoria Goodwin had allegedly hired a hitman in an attempt to have him killed while filming the series Ghost Adventures in Los Angeles last week. 

On March 6, his wife – whom he tied the knot with in 2022 – was arrested in connection with Solicitation to Commit Murder, and Murder Conspiracy, per booking information in Clark County, Nevada. 

Sources informed TMZ that the TV personality, 48, was shooting a lockdown investigation when Aaron received a call from the police to inform him that Victoria had been arrested. 

The moment took place on camera, but reportedly will not be shown on the next season of the show – which currently airs on the Discovery channel. 

Goodwin’s co-star Zak Bagans has creative control when it comes to the series, insiders told the outlet, and has plans to speak to the network before a decision is officially made on whether to include the call during the future episode. 

The revelation comes a week after Victoria was arrested – and only days after she made her first appearance in court on Tuesday. 

Police also said that Aaron’s wife had enlisted the help of triple-murderer Grant Amato who slayed his family in order to have her husband killed. 

The news of his spouse’s alleged plans left Goodwin ‘blindsided’ and he has since obtained a court order to have her stay away from him and prevent any form of contact for three months. 

Victoria appeared to be in a happy marriage in a YouTube clip which was posted after investigators said she tried to have him killed. 

The clip, titled Kualoa Ranch tour with the Goodwin’s, was uploaded on November 18 of last year – a month after authorities say Victoria sought to have Aaron murdered in a sinister plot of tainted love involving convicted murderer Grant Amato. 

In the video, the pair was seen touring the Kualoa Ranch, which is located in Honolulu County, Hawaii, and appeared to be in good spirits, where they embarked on a Jurassic Park-themed tour.

They toured the Hawaiian attraction, riding on a bus, checking out exhibits and walking around the grounds of the ranch.

The cheery demeanor was in chilly juxtaposition to the realities, as authorities say Victoria was already making efforts to arrange for Amato to have Aaron murdered while he was on location working.

In one sequence of the clip, Aaron walked through the large bones of a dinosaur and likened it to being eaten by one.

As Victoria sat in the mouth of a dinosaur’s bones, Aaron joked ‘Go ahead and eat her’ – as Victoria now faces a trek through the court system with a pair of murder-related charges she’s facing. The clip concluded as rain fell on the ranch. 

While the YouTube video had less than 1,000 views as the story circulated on Tuesday, a number of commenters condemned the duplicity on display, as Victoria pretended all was well, despite investigators saying she’d already having conspired with the jailed Amato to have Aaron murdered. 

Amato, who was convinced in the triple murder of his parents and brother in a dispute over a webcam performer he was partial to, made pen pals with Victoria after she saw his deadly deeds in the 2024 Paramount+ true crime documentary CTRL+ALT+DESIRE.

‘Imagine the level of Evil to go on a vacation with someone you plan to harm, all the while playing the happy and loving spouse,’ said one commenter. ‘Aaron, you live your best life after this chapter ends. Your best days are still ahead.’

One viewer said that it was ‘disturbing to think this wife was smiling on camera at the same time she was plotting the demise of her husband.’

Another commented, ‘You deserve better Aaron, we love you,’ while one person said of Aaron, ‘Poor him. Wifey was trying to unalive him whilst they were filming.’

Victoria appeared in court Tuesday to hear the charges against her, in the first legal hearing in what already appears to be one of the most sensational true crime cases in recent years.

And eerily, it is not Amato’s first foray into the true crime limelight, as he is currently serving a life sentence in a Florida prison facility in the 2019 triple shooting of his mother, father and brother.

Amato, a native of Chuluota, Florida, was found guilty by a jury of three counts of first-degree murder in the January 24, 2019 deaths of his parents Margaret and Chad Amato and brother Cody Amato.

Victoria was being held on $100,000 bail and remained in custody Monday evening in connection with her alleged plot against the Oregon-born Discovery Plus personality, who has more than 660,000 followers on Instagram.

His wife was arrested after authorities uncovered messages she exchanged with Amato, who she became aware of via a Paramount+ true crime documentary called CTRL+ALT+DESIRE.

Victoria began corresponding with Amato via letters, officials said, adding that she initiated the criminal discussion with the inmate as she reviewed ways in which she could escape the marital union.

Police cited text records Victoria exchanged with Amato, saying that at one point she asked him of her murderous intentions: ‘Am I a bad person? Because I chose to end his existence. Not divorce.’

Their marriage itself eerily began when they exchanged vows at Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion in Anaheim, California in August of 2022.

Victoria tried to get Aaron killed when he was on location taping his program with paranormal investigator Zak Bagans, according to the outlet. Dailymail.com has reached out to Bagans for comment on the story.

Victoria shared information of Aaron’s whereabouts as he filmed his show in California, authorities said. She committed to a deal in which she pledged to pay the hitman a total of $11,515, according to officials.

Amato, according to police, said to an associate, ‘He’s asleep right now in the hotel room … I need to know what’s going on. Can I get an update. Was it done?’

Police said that evidence exists Victoria committed to put a payment of $2,500 down for the murder of her spouse.

Police said that the criminal conduct was uncovered when the Amato’s phone was found and examined by prison officials in Florida, TMZ reported, citing law enforcement.

Victoria has denied trying to have Aaron murdered, police said, as she attributed the exchanges to ‘daydreaming or fantasizing about being without her husband.’

Police said Victoria denied wanting to have her spouse murdered, according to the outlet, and that she claims sending the illegal messages calling for the death of her significant other.

Victoria told officers that she sent money to the alleged hitman intending to provide him with cell phones, TMZ reported. She also admitted to police that she told the inmate her marriage was in distress.

Sources told TMZ that Aaron was ‘blindsided and devastated at this turn of events’ involving his wife, as he ‘thought he was in a happy marriage.’ 

Bagans told the outlet that it has been emotional for his colleague, and that he’s ‘trying to give him love and support.’ 

It appeared that the TV star was unaware of his wife’s alleged scheming even four months after when police said she communicated with the inmate about the murder plot.

Aaron posted a picture on Instagram on Valentine’s Day from a miniature golf outing, captioning the image, ‘My valentine always beats me at mini golf.’

In addition to his Instagram account, Aaron also has more than 216.2K Followers on X/Twitter and 23.5K subscribers on his YouTube account.

Victoria, who remains in custody, has more than 2,121 followers on her Instagram account, in which she describes herself in her bio as an ‘athlete’ and ‘Rare Illness + C-PTSD Warrior.’