This is the statement of Lisa Louise Greene written in her own words by Special Agent Charles Gent after being arrested on January 13, 2006:
I did not tell the whole truth in my other statement. I went back to my daughter's room and caught that blanket on fire. I had been in that room about 10 minutes looking at my kids. The blanket I had caught on fire and the other one, this thin little blanket near Daniel caught on, it went out though. The little blanket was already on fire. I went out and closed the door and I put my blanket down by the bottom two shelves of the book case. It caught the book case on fire. I knew it was burning still and it was a little fire.
I don't know why I didn't try to wake up my kids. I just wanted to forget about it. I walked back to the recliner and laid down. I think I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up but the smoke was too hard to breathe. I just laid down to forget about everything. I just laid there and cried wanting everything to go away and everything to just be over. I don't know when I burned my foot. I didn't even realize I burned it until I got outside.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Greene's second statement
Lisa Greene's second statement to police given January 13, 2006 before she was arrested.
This is the statement of Lisa Louise Greene. I have been advised of my rights by Detective Kevin Pfister and I agree to give this statement voluntarily. This statement is being written by Special Agent Charles Gent in my words. I have asked Agent Gent to write this for me.
On the night my house burned, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was groggy from some drowsy pills. My kids take a pill like that too and they both took them around 8. I had been asleep on the recliner and woke up for some reason, I don't know why. I went back to my daughter's bedroom. I had my blanket around me. My blanket is a woven blanket with some kids pouring lemonade.
I checked on my kids. Daniel was on the floor asleep. Daniel's head was near the kitchen playset. Addison was asleep in the bed. The candle I lit earlier was still burning. They was both asleep. When I turned I caught my blanket on fire. I walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. I think the kids had the door closed earlier but I closed it back.
I dropped my blanket down by the bookcase. I may have put my foot down to put it out but I don't know it all seemed like a dream.
I left it lying there and I went back to the recliner. I don't know how long I was there. I was pretty tired from playing with the kids all day. I wanna say the smoke detector went off. The television was on. There was a lot of smoke and there was fire back there. I saw a bunch of fire on the bookcase. I think maybe it was halfway burned. I looked I think then at the microwave, which said 1:15 or 1:16. It usually gives good time.
I think I burned my foot when I went back there the second time to see what the fire was and how bad. I burned it near the hall. Something felt like it wanted to stick to my foot. It was so smokey.
I went out the door. I did grab my purse on the table by the door. I go outside. I did fall coming down. It seemed like a dream. It seemed like something that shouldn't be happening.
I didn't fall because of my foot being burned, I didn't burn it that bad.
I picked my self back up there at the steps. I tripped again over by the picnic table. The phone fell out. I picked it back up. I kept walking and I fumbled with my phone to get the clip off. Then I dropped it again.
The first time I fell, I just laid there crying for a few minutes before I got up. I was coughing, I couldn't catch my breath. I panicked.
I guess it was 5 or 10 minutes. My house was already smokey. Nothing was functioning in my head. I was lying there thinking what happened, what did I do wrong and this can't be happening.
I go up and started walking fast while I tried to get the clip off my phone. I go down toward Phillip and Tamara's house. I kept screaming Phillip. I laid on my stomach. Between the two pine trees I dropped my phone.
I look for my phone not even a minute. I couldn't see it. I gave up looking and kept going down the hill. I fell again because I just couldn't handle it. I was right near the lady across the street's dog pen. The dogs kept barking. I think when I got to that point, I passed out. I know I came to and saw a bright flashlight, it was a lady.
I don't think I yelled for help at all until I saw that lady with the flashlight. I was trying to get to Phillip and Tamara's house so they could hear me. The lady went up to me and I told her, I said, I need help. She was across at the dog pen. I didn't tell her there was a fire. I said get the phone, call 911, I need some help.
I started crawling to Phillip's car and I called for help. Then she came back and put me on 911 and that's was the end of it. I'm sorry. I always felt like this was a dream.
This is the statement of Lisa Louise Greene. I have been advised of my rights by Detective Kevin Pfister and I agree to give this statement voluntarily. This statement is being written by Special Agent Charles Gent in my words. I have asked Agent Gent to write this for me.
On the night my house burned, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was groggy from some drowsy pills. My kids take a pill like that too and they both took them around 8. I had been asleep on the recliner and woke up for some reason, I don't know why. I went back to my daughter's bedroom. I had my blanket around me. My blanket is a woven blanket with some kids pouring lemonade.
I checked on my kids. Daniel was on the floor asleep. Daniel's head was near the kitchen playset. Addison was asleep in the bed. The candle I lit earlier was still burning. They was both asleep. When I turned I caught my blanket on fire. I walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. I think the kids had the door closed earlier but I closed it back.
I dropped my blanket down by the bookcase. I may have put my foot down to put it out but I don't know it all seemed like a dream.
I left it lying there and I went back to the recliner. I don't know how long I was there. I was pretty tired from playing with the kids all day. I wanna say the smoke detector went off. The television was on. There was a lot of smoke and there was fire back there. I saw a bunch of fire on the bookcase. I think maybe it was halfway burned. I looked I think then at the microwave, which said 1:15 or 1:16. It usually gives good time.
I think I burned my foot when I went back there the second time to see what the fire was and how bad. I burned it near the hall. Something felt like it wanted to stick to my foot. It was so smokey.
I went out the door. I did grab my purse on the table by the door. I go outside. I did fall coming down. It seemed like a dream. It seemed like something that shouldn't be happening.
I didn't fall because of my foot being burned, I didn't burn it that bad.
I picked my self back up there at the steps. I tripped again over by the picnic table. The phone fell out. I picked it back up. I kept walking and I fumbled with my phone to get the clip off. Then I dropped it again.
The first time I fell, I just laid there crying for a few minutes before I got up. I was coughing, I couldn't catch my breath. I panicked.
I guess it was 5 or 10 minutes. My house was already smokey. Nothing was functioning in my head. I was lying there thinking what happened, what did I do wrong and this can't be happening.
I go up and started walking fast while I tried to get the clip off my phone. I go down toward Phillip and Tamara's house. I kept screaming Phillip. I laid on my stomach. Between the two pine trees I dropped my phone.
I look for my phone not even a minute. I couldn't see it. I gave up looking and kept going down the hill. I fell again because I just couldn't handle it. I was right near the lady across the street's dog pen. The dogs kept barking. I think when I got to that point, I passed out. I know I came to and saw a bright flashlight, it was a lady.
I don't think I yelled for help at all until I saw that lady with the flashlight. I was trying to get to Phillip and Tamara's house so they could hear me. The lady went up to me and I told her, I said, I need help. She was across at the dog pen. I didn't tell her there was a fire. I said get the phone, call 911, I need some help.
I started crawling to Phillip's car and I called for help. Then she came back and put me on 911 and that's was the end of it. I'm sorry. I always felt like this was a dream.
Greene's first statement to police
Statement given to Cabarrus County Detective Kevin Pfister and SBI Special Agent Charles Gent on January 10, 2006.
I put the kids to bed around 8:15 p.m. and they watched a movie in their room. Daniel and Addison were in Addison's room because Daniel won't sleep in his own room. The door to the room was open. Around 8:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. they, the kids, called my mother, Dale Greene. They used the cordless phone from the kitchen. I could hear them talking and watching the movie in Addison's room. I checked on them about 10 p.m. and Addison was asleep and Daniel was still awake watching the movie on the floor.
I was in the living room in the bigger recliner closer to the window. Before I put them to bed I lit two candles for them. One was a 10 inch metal base candle holder with a six inch scented green candle approximately three inches in diameter. I also lit a small tea-type candle in a glass holder. Both candles were in Addison's bedroom with them. It was about 7 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. when I lit the candles. I last checked on Daniel between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
I then went back and sat in the recliner to watch television in the living room. I woke up when I heard the smoke alarm near the laundry room. The one in the kitchen near the kids' rooms goes off sometimes when I cook so I unplug it sometimes. I may have left it unplugged, they were electric plug-in smoke alarms. I may have unplugged them several weeks ago. I could hear both televisions and then I could hear one of my kids scream around 1:15 to 1:20 a.m. I didn't hear the smoke detectors until after they, the kids, screamed. I could see smoke coming from under their door and some smoke in the air near the ceiling in the kitchen.
The bookshelf by the kids' rooms is filled with kids/children's paperback and hardback books and some movies. I can see the hotness and redness of Addison's bedroom door. I touched the door knob but it was too hot. I used my left hand on the doorknob. I then took the blanket wrapped around me and used it to open the bedroom door. Once the door was open a little I could see the candle laying on Daniel's pillow and burning his blanket and burning the carpet toward the bed and toward the door.
Daniel was on the floor lying on top of his blankets at the side of Addison's bed. I told him to get on the bed and in the corner by the wall and that I was going to get help. Daniel said, "No Mama, don't leave us."
I said, "I have to go get help. I'll be right back" and told them to get on the back of the bed by the wall. I used my blanket that was around me and put it over the flames in the doorway and stepped on it to put it out.
I could hear them both coughing. I stepped on the flames but it was too hot and I burned my foot and it was too hot and flames were coming up my leg. I couldn't find the phone and I was going out the door I grabbed my purse, it is the left of the sofa table by the front door. As I ran out the door with my purse I ran around the passenger side of my truck (Lexus) and dumped out my purse to get my cell phone. I then ran to the back corner of my house and toward the road and tripped over a stump between two pine trees and dropped the phone. I then crawled along the grass near the ditch and called for help. I was yelling “Help Phillip and Tamara”. I was yelling for them for about 10 minutes.
After yelling for about 10 minutes, a lady across the street came outside with a flashlight and I said "Help Ma'am, help, don't leave, I need help, call 911, my house is on fire and the kids are up there."
My hands were half froze and so were my feet and I passed out a couple of times. My boyfriend is Dennis Beckham, he lives in Lancaster, South Carolina and we've been dating for four months. He just left here, my sister's house where I'm being interviewed. I have not taken any drugs or alcohol recently, not any last night/this morning. It's been over a year since I’ve done drugs and six months since I've had alcohol. My kids don't play with matches. I don't keep jewelry in my jewelry box, I keep it in my fire proof case in my bathroom sink. About two weeks ago I checked in my safe with my boyfriend.
I usually wear most of my jewelry. I forgot, left my bangle bracelet in the glass cup in my bathroom. I never had any electrical problems at my house. My ex-husband is Darren Macemore.
I put the kids to bed around 8:15 p.m. and they watched a movie in their room. Daniel and Addison were in Addison's room because Daniel won't sleep in his own room. The door to the room was open. Around 8:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. they, the kids, called my mother, Dale Greene. They used the cordless phone from the kitchen. I could hear them talking and watching the movie in Addison's room. I checked on them about 10 p.m. and Addison was asleep and Daniel was still awake watching the movie on the floor.
I was in the living room in the bigger recliner closer to the window. Before I put them to bed I lit two candles for them. One was a 10 inch metal base candle holder with a six inch scented green candle approximately three inches in diameter. I also lit a small tea-type candle in a glass holder. Both candles were in Addison's bedroom with them. It was about 7 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. when I lit the candles. I last checked on Daniel between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
I then went back and sat in the recliner to watch television in the living room. I woke up when I heard the smoke alarm near the laundry room. The one in the kitchen near the kids' rooms goes off sometimes when I cook so I unplug it sometimes. I may have left it unplugged, they were electric plug-in smoke alarms. I may have unplugged them several weeks ago. I could hear both televisions and then I could hear one of my kids scream around 1:15 to 1:20 a.m. I didn't hear the smoke detectors until after they, the kids, screamed. I could see smoke coming from under their door and some smoke in the air near the ceiling in the kitchen.
The bookshelf by the kids' rooms is filled with kids/children's paperback and hardback books and some movies. I can see the hotness and redness of Addison's bedroom door. I touched the door knob but it was too hot. I used my left hand on the doorknob. I then took the blanket wrapped around me and used it to open the bedroom door. Once the door was open a little I could see the candle laying on Daniel's pillow and burning his blanket and burning the carpet toward the bed and toward the door.
Daniel was on the floor lying on top of his blankets at the side of Addison's bed. I told him to get on the bed and in the corner by the wall and that I was going to get help. Daniel said, "No Mama, don't leave us."
I said, "I have to go get help. I'll be right back" and told them to get on the back of the bed by the wall. I used my blanket that was around me and put it over the flames in the doorway and stepped on it to put it out.
I could hear them both coughing. I stepped on the flames but it was too hot and I burned my foot and it was too hot and flames were coming up my leg. I couldn't find the phone and I was going out the door I grabbed my purse, it is the left of the sofa table by the front door. As I ran out the door with my purse I ran around the passenger side of my truck (Lexus) and dumped out my purse to get my cell phone. I then ran to the back corner of my house and toward the road and tripped over a stump between two pine trees and dropped the phone. I then crawled along the grass near the ditch and called for help. I was yelling “Help Phillip and Tamara”. I was yelling for them for about 10 minutes.
After yelling for about 10 minutes, a lady across the street came outside with a flashlight and I said "Help Ma'am, help, don't leave, I need help, call 911, my house is on fire and the kids are up there."
My hands were half froze and so were my feet and I passed out a couple of times. My boyfriend is Dennis Beckham, he lives in Lancaster, South Carolina and we've been dating for four months. He just left here, my sister's house where I'm being interviewed. I have not taken any drugs or alcohol recently, not any last night/this morning. It's been over a year since I’ve done drugs and six months since I've had alcohol. My kids don't play with matches. I don't keep jewelry in my jewelry box, I keep it in my fire proof case in my bathroom sink. About two weeks ago I checked in my safe with my boyfriend.
I usually wear most of my jewelry. I forgot, left my bangle bracelet in the glass cup in my bathroom. I never had any electrical problems at my house. My ex-husband is Darren Macemore.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Medical examiner testifies in Greene trial
A forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on Addison Macemore testified Friday that the 8-year-old died of carbon monoxide inhalation.
Thomas Owens, a Mecklenburg County medical examiner, took the stand Friday and said he observed a large amount of soot in the girl’s airways and esophagus during the examination.
Lisa Louise Greene, the girl’s mother, is charged with arson and two counts of murder in a Jan. 2006 mobile home fire that left her two children, Daniel Macemore and Addison Macemore, dead. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Court proceedings recessed at 4 p.m. Friday after Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, argued that the defense wasn’t aware that the medical examiner would be giving his opinion on the manner in which the girl died.
“We had no notice about his opinion until it came out of his mouth on the witness stand,” Dubs said.
Judge Robert Bell recessed the trial so defense attorneys could prepare for questioning of a second medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Daniel.
This is the second time this week court proceedings have recessed early. Court proceedings recessed at noon Thursday due to an illness in Dubs’ family. A sick juror caused proceedings on Tuesday to be cancelled.
Bell has asked the prosecution and defense attorneys to speed up witness questioning to have the trial completed by Christmas.
The trial began with jury selection on Oct. 8.
Thomas Owens, a Mecklenburg County medical examiner, took the stand Friday and said he observed a large amount of soot in the girl’s airways and esophagus during the examination.
Lisa Louise Greene, the girl’s mother, is charged with arson and two counts of murder in a Jan. 2006 mobile home fire that left her two children, Daniel Macemore and Addison Macemore, dead. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Court proceedings recessed at 4 p.m. Friday after Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, argued that the defense wasn’t aware that the medical examiner would be giving his opinion on the manner in which the girl died.
“We had no notice about his opinion until it came out of his mouth on the witness stand,” Dubs said.
Judge Robert Bell recessed the trial so defense attorneys could prepare for questioning of a second medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Daniel.
This is the second time this week court proceedings have recessed early. Court proceedings recessed at noon Thursday due to an illness in Dubs’ family. A sick juror caused proceedings on Tuesday to be cancelled.
Bell has asked the prosecution and defense attorneys to speed up witness questioning to have the trial completed by Christmas.
The trial began with jury selection on Oct. 8.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Judge asks for Christmas deadline in Greene Trial
The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s deputy in charge of collecting evidence from Lisa Greene’s home said that investigators didn’t test a candlestick found in Addison Macemore’s room for wax because it didn’t appear to have any visible residue.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, grilled Sergeant Tim Culp on Wednesday about how he collected evidence from the scene and why investigators didn’t search for paraffin wax around the overturned candlestick found in the room.
Greene, 42, is accused of killing her two children, Darren Macemore, 10, and Addison, 8, in a January 2006 house fire. The fire began in her daughter’s room, where the two children were watching a movie. She is charged with arson and two counts of murder. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Photos taken from the scene showed several candlesticks around the home. Dubs called the candlestick found in Addison’s room “unique” because it was the only one in the home without a candle on top.
Culp, who isn’t an arson investigator, said it was his decision to not test for paraffin residue in the room.
Dubs also questioned why Culp overlooked items at the scene of the crime that would have shown that Greene intended the children to go to school the next day, including two lunch bags and a handwritten note addressed to Daniel’s teacher.
“You didn’t find it relevant that Lisa Greene intended for her children to go to school the next day?” Dubs asked.
Culp said that he didn’t collect the items because they “didn’t seem to be anything involving the case.”
Culp was the only person to take the stand Wednesday. He spent most of the day displaying evidence collecting at the scene including: the children’s clothes, Greene’s purse, the candlestick found in the room and a section of the house where the children had tried to kick their way out.
Trial proceedings resumed Wednesday after the court took Tuesday off because of a sick juror.
Judge Robert Bell said he wanted to increase the pace of the trial to be completed by Christmas.
After speaking with counsel in chambers, Bell said that he would restrict lunch breaks to only one hour, begin court sessions 30 minutes earlier, have a full Friday schedule and would consider hearing testimony on Saturdays.
Trial proceedings began on Oct. 8 and a Christmas completion would mean the trial would have lasted 11 weeks. Opening statements were heard on Nov. 13.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, grilled Sergeant Tim Culp on Wednesday about how he collected evidence from the scene and why investigators didn’t search for paraffin wax around the overturned candlestick found in the room.
Greene, 42, is accused of killing her two children, Darren Macemore, 10, and Addison, 8, in a January 2006 house fire. The fire began in her daughter’s room, where the two children were watching a movie. She is charged with arson and two counts of murder. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Photos taken from the scene showed several candlesticks around the home. Dubs called the candlestick found in Addison’s room “unique” because it was the only one in the home without a candle on top.
Culp, who isn’t an arson investigator, said it was his decision to not test for paraffin residue in the room.
Dubs also questioned why Culp overlooked items at the scene of the crime that would have shown that Greene intended the children to go to school the next day, including two lunch bags and a handwritten note addressed to Daniel’s teacher.
“You didn’t find it relevant that Lisa Greene intended for her children to go to school the next day?” Dubs asked.
Culp said that he didn’t collect the items because they “didn’t seem to be anything involving the case.”
Culp was the only person to take the stand Wednesday. He spent most of the day displaying evidence collecting at the scene including: the children’s clothes, Greene’s purse, the candlestick found in the room and a section of the house where the children had tried to kick their way out.
Trial proceedings resumed Wednesday after the court took Tuesday off because of a sick juror.
Judge Robert Bell said he wanted to increase the pace of the trial to be completed by Christmas.
After speaking with counsel in chambers, Bell said that he would restrict lunch breaks to only one hour, begin court sessions 30 minutes earlier, have a full Friday schedule and would consider hearing testimony on Saturdays.
Trial proceedings began on Oct. 8 and a Christmas completion would mean the trial would have lasted 11 weeks. Opening statements were heard on Nov. 13.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Greene trial postpone due to sick juror
CONCORD - The judge in the Lisa Greene capital murder trial postponed court proceedings Tuesday because a juror was sick.
Greene, 42, is charged with the deaths of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, and arson in a January 2006 mobile home fire. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Judge Robert Bell chose not to allow an alternate to take the sick juror’s place because he said it was too early in trial proceedings to lose a juror.
Prosecutors said Tuesday they hope to have the trial completed by Christmas. Bell had asked if prosecutors and defense attorneys could discuss ways to speed up proceedings because testimonies were falling behind schedule last week.
The trial is scheduled to resume today.
Greene, 42, is charged with the deaths of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, and arson in a January 2006 mobile home fire. She could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Judge Robert Bell chose not to allow an alternate to take the sick juror’s place because he said it was too early in trial proceedings to lose a juror.
Prosecutors said Tuesday they hope to have the trial completed by Christmas. Bell had asked if prosecutors and defense attorneys could discuss ways to speed up proceedings because testimonies were falling behind schedule last week.
The trial is scheduled to resume today.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Jurors see photos of children taken after the fire
CONCORD - Several jurors cried as prosecutors showed graphic photos of Daniel and Addison Macemore taken hours after the fire that took their lives.
Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Tim Culp, who had taken the photos, testified Monday about evidence found at the crime scene in the capital murder case of Lisa Louise Greene.
Greene is charged with arson and the murder of her two children, Daniel, 10, and Addison, 8, in a Jan 10, 2006, Midland mobile home fire. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Prosecutors introduced more than 40 photos taken by Culp the morning of the fire, including six that showed the children’s bodies and one that showed footprints on the wall.
Greene cried loudly as prosecutors showed an enlarged photo of the bodies to jurors.
Other photos shown to jurors were of two fire extinguishers that were inside the home at the time of the fire, two phones that were in Greene’s bedroom at the time of the fire and a large, mostly empty jewelry box in the master bedroom. First responders testified earlier in the trial that Greene was wearing a large amount of jewelry when they responded to the home.
Greene’s defense attorneys, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, will begin cross-examination questioning of Culp today.
Jerry Macemore, Greene’s former brother-in-law, testified Monday that Greene got angry at the children and called Addison a “whore” when he saw them at a Cabarrus County Wal-Mart a few months before the fatal fire.
Darren Macemore, the children’s father, and Mary Beth Burr, one of Daniel’s former teachers, testified Monday about Greene’s treatment of the children.
Greene’s attorneys said in opening statements that Greene had a great deal of family support in caring for the children and that she was a loving, doting mother
Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Tim Culp, who had taken the photos, testified Monday about evidence found at the crime scene in the capital murder case of Lisa Louise Greene.
Greene is charged with arson and the murder of her two children, Daniel, 10, and Addison, 8, in a Jan 10, 2006, Midland mobile home fire. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Prosecutors introduced more than 40 photos taken by Culp the morning of the fire, including six that showed the children’s bodies and one that showed footprints on the wall.
Greene cried loudly as prosecutors showed an enlarged photo of the bodies to jurors.
Other photos shown to jurors were of two fire extinguishers that were inside the home at the time of the fire, two phones that were in Greene’s bedroom at the time of the fire and a large, mostly empty jewelry box in the master bedroom. First responders testified earlier in the trial that Greene was wearing a large amount of jewelry when they responded to the home.
Greene’s defense attorneys, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, will begin cross-examination questioning of Culp today.
Jerry Macemore, Greene’s former brother-in-law, testified Monday that Greene got angry at the children and called Addison a “whore” when he saw them at a Cabarrus County Wal-Mart a few months before the fatal fire.
Darren Macemore, the children’s father, and Mary Beth Burr, one of Daniel’s former teachers, testified Monday about Greene’s treatment of the children.
Greene’s attorneys said in opening statements that Greene had a great deal of family support in caring for the children and that she was a loving, doting mother
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Former Friends: Greene called her children a 'nuisance'
CONCORD – Daniel Macemore put his head down and looked ashamed as he sat in a barber’s chair after he heard his mother, Lisa Greene, say she “would give her kids away if people wouldn’t get mad at her,” a former friend of Greene’s testified Monday.
Wendy Lucas, a 14-year friend of Greene and hairstylist for her family, testified that one month prior to the January 10, 2006, fire that killed her children, Greene said her boyfriend didn’t want children and she wanted to get rid of them.
Lucas was one of two former friends of Greene, 42, to testify Monday that Greene was tough on her children and repeatedly said she didn’t want them. Greene is charged with two counts of murder and arson, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Lucas testified that on December 13, 2005, one month before the fire, Greene visited her salon, Salon 2000, and seemed “agitated” when she made the statements about giving her children away.
Lucas testified that Greene told her over the course of the previous three years that she “wished she’d never had them” while in the presence of the children.
Lucas testified that Greene was angry that her children had “ruined her body” and were a “nuisance.”
She also said that Greene once told her that she would rather her children be “dead than to let (Darren Macemore, the children’s father) have custody.”
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, angrily objected, saying that Lucas had never previously made that statement to police or the district attorney, and Judge Robert Bell had it taken from the record.
Dubs issued more than 20 objections during the questioning by Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley.
“You remembered (these statements) all those times you were interviewed but didn’t think it was important until now?” Dubs asked during cross examination, and Lucas said she was unsure of when she remembered those statements being made.
Lucas had trouble remembering dates of specific times that Greene made these alleged statements to her but said several other women in the salon heard the statements made by Greene. Lucas testified that Greene would visit the salon every six to eight weeks in 2005, and would frequently make comments about disliking her children and her parental responsibilities. After being aggressively questioned by Dubs, Lucas changed her testimony, saying that Greene may have only entered the salon two or three times during 2005, but she was unsure.
Misti McCaskill, who testified first on Monday, said that Greene was “extremely critical” of her children and “never said a good word about them in public.” McCaskill said that Greene called her daughter Addison Macemore, 8, a “fat, chunky, little pig.” She testified that Greene called Daniel, 10, who had a learning disability, “stupid,” and on one occasion said her children were dressed like “hobos” and she was embarrassed to be around them.
McCaskill testified that she and Greene became “good friends” in 2003 and bonded over their love of motorcycles. McCaskill began testifying on Friday and was brought back for cross-examination on Monday.
McCaskill testified that Greene had ended their friendship by not returning phone calls six months prior to fire, and she was unsure of her state of mind leading up to death of her children. She added that Greene had originally told her that she loved her children, but later called them a “nuisance” and would “take them back if she could.”
Dubs asked McCaskill if she knew how Greene acted with her children outside of her presence, and she said she didn’t know.
A suspected gas leak, which was later found to be falsely reported, emptied the Cabarrus County Courthouse for nearly one hour Monday, interrupting testimonies.
Court proceedings will be halted the rest of the week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and will resume Monday, Nov. 26, at 9:30 a.m.
-Josh Lanier
Wendy Lucas, a 14-year friend of Greene and hairstylist for her family, testified that one month prior to the January 10, 2006, fire that killed her children, Greene said her boyfriend didn’t want children and she wanted to get rid of them.
Lucas was one of two former friends of Greene, 42, to testify Monday that Greene was tough on her children and repeatedly said she didn’t want them. Greene is charged with two counts of murder and arson, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Lucas testified that on December 13, 2005, one month before the fire, Greene visited her salon, Salon 2000, and seemed “agitated” when she made the statements about giving her children away.
Lucas testified that Greene told her over the course of the previous three years that she “wished she’d never had them” while in the presence of the children.
Lucas testified that Greene was angry that her children had “ruined her body” and were a “nuisance.”
She also said that Greene once told her that she would rather her children be “dead than to let (Darren Macemore, the children’s father) have custody.”
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, angrily objected, saying that Lucas had never previously made that statement to police or the district attorney, and Judge Robert Bell had it taken from the record.
Dubs issued more than 20 objections during the questioning by Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley.
“You remembered (these statements) all those times you were interviewed but didn’t think it was important until now?” Dubs asked during cross examination, and Lucas said she was unsure of when she remembered those statements being made.
Lucas had trouble remembering dates of specific times that Greene made these alleged statements to her but said several other women in the salon heard the statements made by Greene. Lucas testified that Greene would visit the salon every six to eight weeks in 2005, and would frequently make comments about disliking her children and her parental responsibilities. After being aggressively questioned by Dubs, Lucas changed her testimony, saying that Greene may have only entered the salon two or three times during 2005, but she was unsure.
Misti McCaskill, who testified first on Monday, said that Greene was “extremely critical” of her children and “never said a good word about them in public.” McCaskill said that Greene called her daughter Addison Macemore, 8, a “fat, chunky, little pig.” She testified that Greene called Daniel, 10, who had a learning disability, “stupid,” and on one occasion said her children were dressed like “hobos” and she was embarrassed to be around them.
McCaskill testified that she and Greene became “good friends” in 2003 and bonded over their love of motorcycles. McCaskill began testifying on Friday and was brought back for cross-examination on Monday.
McCaskill testified that Greene had ended their friendship by not returning phone calls six months prior to fire, and she was unsure of her state of mind leading up to death of her children. She added that Greene had originally told her that she loved her children, but later called them a “nuisance” and would “take them back if she could.”
Dubs asked McCaskill if she knew how Greene acted with her children outside of her presence, and she said she didn’t know.
A suspected gas leak, which was later found to be falsely reported, emptied the Cabarrus County Courthouse for nearly one hour Monday, interrupting testimonies.
Court proceedings will be halted the rest of the week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and will resume Monday, Nov. 26, at 9:30 a.m.
-Josh Lanier
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Jury hears 911 tapes in Greene Trial
CONCORD - Lisa Greene’s screams for help were muffled by her loud crying during much of the 911 call made to police the night of her children’s deaths.
Jurors in Greene’s capital murder case heard Wednesday the 911 call made by a neighbor who found Greene lying near a ditch on Jan 10, 2006, the night of the mobile home fire that killed Greene’s two children.
On the tape, Greene can be heard in the background yelling, “They need to hurry up!” and “My house is on fire!” Her voice wasn’t audible on the tape until two minutes into the five-minute call.
Wednesday was the second day of testimony in Greene’s double murder and arson trial. The Cabarrus County dispatcher, Curtis Anderson, who took the 911 call, testified in court.
Anderson, now a Concord Police officer, testified that the call seemed “unusual” because there was no mention of the fire during the first two minutes. The caller, Teresa Diss, originally only told the dispatcher about Greene’s hurt ankle and mentioned that Greene had lost her cell phone, Anderson testified.
“At a home where someone is potentially dying and the person reporting is more concerned with the cell phone and ankle injury just didn’t sit right with me,” Anderson told the court.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, rebuffed Anderson’s statement and asked if he knew if the neighbor had walked too far away from Greene and that’s why he couldn’t hear her on the recording. Anderson said he was unsure of Diss’ movements and didn’t know how far she was while the two were speaking.
When Greene was audible on the tape, she was screaming and coughing, pleading for help, but Anderson testified that he believed she was acting because Greene knew police was on the phone. “It seemed like she was fake coughing and crying,” Anderson said. “I wanted to jump through that phone and save those kids … her actions just didn’t seem genuine.”
Greene can be heard on the tape saying that the children had fallen asleep with a lighted candle in their room, and that’s what must have caused the blaze. Prosecutors asked if it seemed suspicious that Greene would be able to give the dispatcher that information and her address in such an emotional state. Anderson testified that it “didn’t seem right.”
Anderson was the fifth person to testify that Greene seemed to be “faking” about how upset she was the night of the fire.
Cabarrus County Deputy James Moreau testified that if it were his kids, he “would be useless” and that it was suspicious that Greene wasn’t “acting like a woman who just lost her two kids.” Moreau made the initial investigation after the fire.
James Howard, a Cabarrus County firefighter, testified Tuesday that Greene was “engaging in theatrics” and that she cried but without tears.
Christy Brown and Kelly Coulter, both Cabarrus County EMS workers, testified Tuesday that Greene seemed to “cry louder,” but without tears, and “put on a show” as rescue workers treated her.
Dubs said in her opening statement that investigators rushed to judge the 42-year-old Greene because she didn’t act “the way they thought she should.” She said that the assumptions about Greene “weren’t scientific and caused mistakes in the investigation.”
Dubs said defense witnesses would prove that investigators made poor assumptions that led to Greene’s arrest.
The trial will continue Thursday with more prosecution witnesses expected. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Jurors in Greene’s capital murder case heard Wednesday the 911 call made by a neighbor who found Greene lying near a ditch on Jan 10, 2006, the night of the mobile home fire that killed Greene’s two children.
On the tape, Greene can be heard in the background yelling, “They need to hurry up!” and “My house is on fire!” Her voice wasn’t audible on the tape until two minutes into the five-minute call.
Wednesday was the second day of testimony in Greene’s double murder and arson trial. The Cabarrus County dispatcher, Curtis Anderson, who took the 911 call, testified in court.
Anderson, now a Concord Police officer, testified that the call seemed “unusual” because there was no mention of the fire during the first two minutes. The caller, Teresa Diss, originally only told the dispatcher about Greene’s hurt ankle and mentioned that Greene had lost her cell phone, Anderson testified.
“At a home where someone is potentially dying and the person reporting is more concerned with the cell phone and ankle injury just didn’t sit right with me,” Anderson told the court.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, rebuffed Anderson’s statement and asked if he knew if the neighbor had walked too far away from Greene and that’s why he couldn’t hear her on the recording. Anderson said he was unsure of Diss’ movements and didn’t know how far she was while the two were speaking.
When Greene was audible on the tape, she was screaming and coughing, pleading for help, but Anderson testified that he believed she was acting because Greene knew police was on the phone. “It seemed like she was fake coughing and crying,” Anderson said. “I wanted to jump through that phone and save those kids … her actions just didn’t seem genuine.”
Greene can be heard on the tape saying that the children had fallen asleep with a lighted candle in their room, and that’s what must have caused the blaze. Prosecutors asked if it seemed suspicious that Greene would be able to give the dispatcher that information and her address in such an emotional state. Anderson testified that it “didn’t seem right.”
Anderson was the fifth person to testify that Greene seemed to be “faking” about how upset she was the night of the fire.
Cabarrus County Deputy James Moreau testified that if it were his kids, he “would be useless” and that it was suspicious that Greene wasn’t “acting like a woman who just lost her two kids.” Moreau made the initial investigation after the fire.
James Howard, a Cabarrus County firefighter, testified Tuesday that Greene was “engaging in theatrics” and that she cried but without tears.
Christy Brown and Kelly Coulter, both Cabarrus County EMS workers, testified Tuesday that Greene seemed to “cry louder,” but without tears, and “put on a show” as rescue workers treated her.
Dubs said in her opening statement that investigators rushed to judge the 42-year-old Greene because she didn’t act “the way they thought she should.” She said that the assumptions about Greene “weren’t scientific and caused mistakes in the investigation.”
Dubs said defense witnesses would prove that investigators made poor assumptions that led to Greene’s arrest.
The trial will continue Thursday with more prosecution witnesses expected. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Greene's attorney allege innapropriate behavior
Lisa Greene’s attorneys claimed Cabarrus County EMS paramedic, Kelly Coulter, acted “inappropriately” when she spoke to jurors during a recess break Greene’s capital murder trial.
Coulter and her paramedic partner, Christy Brown, were standing outside of the Cabarrus County Courthouse along with jurors from the trial Tuesday after testifying to Greene’s actions the fire that killed her two chil-dren when a man attempting to escape arrest fled the building.
The man, who’s name wasn’t released, had been found guilty of drug possession in a lower court, and at-tempted to flee arrest by running from the court room and out of the building. Two bailiffs and a bail bonds-man chased him. The man was apprehended outside of the courthouse.
During the chase, a man exited the building and claimed shots had been fired inside the building. Those claims were untrue.
Coulter told the jurors who were standing in front of the building’s sliding glass doors to “get away from the front.”
When Robert Campbell and Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorneys, heard of the exchange between the paramedic and jurors, they said the actions seemed highly inappropriate because it violates the law the witnesses cannot speak to jurors at anytime during a trial. The two asked Judge Robert Bell to reconsider a motion to call a mistrial.
Outside of the presents of the jury, Coulter was asked to testify about the exchange between her and jurors during the break.
Bell denied the plea saying that Coulter “acted in the interest of safety and did the what she needed to for keep everyone safe.”
Court proceedings resumed after Coulter’s testimony.
Coulter and her paramedic partner, Christy Brown, were standing outside of the Cabarrus County Courthouse along with jurors from the trial Tuesday after testifying to Greene’s actions the fire that killed her two chil-dren when a man attempting to escape arrest fled the building.
The man, who’s name wasn’t released, had been found guilty of drug possession in a lower court, and at-tempted to flee arrest by running from the court room and out of the building. Two bailiffs and a bail bonds-man chased him. The man was apprehended outside of the courthouse.
During the chase, a man exited the building and claimed shots had been fired inside the building. Those claims were untrue.
Coulter told the jurors who were standing in front of the building’s sliding glass doors to “get away from the front.”
When Robert Campbell and Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorneys, heard of the exchange between the paramedic and jurors, they said the actions seemed highly inappropriate because it violates the law the witnesses cannot speak to jurors at anytime during a trial. The two asked Judge Robert Bell to reconsider a motion to call a mistrial.
Outside of the presents of the jury, Coulter was asked to testify about the exchange between her and jurors during the break.
Bell denied the plea saying that Coulter “acted in the interest of safety and did the what she needed to for keep everyone safe.”
Court proceedings resumed after Coulter’s testimony.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Testimony underway in Greene trial
CONCORD - Daniel Macemore, 10, died while reaching for the door trying to escape the flames that had engulfed his room, while his sister, Addison Macemore, 8, curled up with her knees to her chest and died in a corner, a first-responder witness testified Tuesday in the Lisa Louise Greene capital murder case.
In opening statements, defense attorneys said the children kicked so hard they put a hole in the Midland mobile home’s wall, fighting to escape the fire that prosecutors say their mother, Greene, started.
Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation, officials said. Prosecutors told jurors this information in opening statements in the double murder and arson case against Greene that began Tuesday. Opening statements followed more than a month of jury selection and pretrial hearings. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Assistant Attorney General David Adinolfi spoke forcefully, and painted Greene as a mother who disliked her children and wanted out of the responsibilities of parenthood, which led to the events on January 10, 2006.
Adinolfi said that Greene had made previous statements to friends that she “hated her children” and that she “hoped they were dead.”
Greene sobbed into her hands, and many of her family members cried loudly, as prosecutors meticulously retold the details from the night of the fire through a Powerpoint presentation. Adinolfi said that Greene was able to retrieve from the home her purse, all of her jewelry and a cell phone, which she didn’t use to contact 911, but not her children.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, spoke of Greene’s innocence and painted Greene as a childhood victim of a tyrannical stepfather who “wanted to toughen the kids up,” and someone who was teased as an overweight teenager with a learning disability. But Dubs said that Greene overcame her troubled upbringing and grew to be a “successful” woman and loving mother.
“Her life was pretty much the way she wanted up until that night,” Dubs said.
Dubs also said that police overlooked other possible suspects in the case because they rushed to judge Greene.
“When someone doesn’t burn up in a fire to save their loved ones they become the suspect,” she said. “That’s not science.”
Dubs said that arson experts will prove that the fire was accidental, and that Greene’s initial explanation to firefighters - that a candle in the children’s room started the blaze - was true.
Prosecutors pointed to a statement they call a confession, which they say Greene made to investigators two days after the fire, as the true timetable of events.
Three first responder witnesses - two Cabarrus County EMS paramedics and a firefighter - testified that Greene was acting “theatrically” and was “putting on a show” for paramedics and family members the night of the fire, but said that she continually asked for her children and wanted firefighters to retrieve them from the home.
Investigators and other firefighters are scheduled to testify Wednesday.
Court officials expect the trial to last four weeks, but could extend two more if Greene is found guilty.
In opening statements, defense attorneys said the children kicked so hard they put a hole in the Midland mobile home’s wall, fighting to escape the fire that prosecutors say their mother, Greene, started.
Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation, officials said. Prosecutors told jurors this information in opening statements in the double murder and arson case against Greene that began Tuesday. Opening statements followed more than a month of jury selection and pretrial hearings. Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Assistant Attorney General David Adinolfi spoke forcefully, and painted Greene as a mother who disliked her children and wanted out of the responsibilities of parenthood, which led to the events on January 10, 2006.
Adinolfi said that Greene had made previous statements to friends that she “hated her children” and that she “hoped they were dead.”
Greene sobbed into her hands, and many of her family members cried loudly, as prosecutors meticulously retold the details from the night of the fire through a Powerpoint presentation. Adinolfi said that Greene was able to retrieve from the home her purse, all of her jewelry and a cell phone, which she didn’t use to contact 911, but not her children.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s attorney, spoke of Greene’s innocence and painted Greene as a childhood victim of a tyrannical stepfather who “wanted to toughen the kids up,” and someone who was teased as an overweight teenager with a learning disability. But Dubs said that Greene overcame her troubled upbringing and grew to be a “successful” woman and loving mother.
“Her life was pretty much the way she wanted up until that night,” Dubs said.
Dubs also said that police overlooked other possible suspects in the case because they rushed to judge Greene.
“When someone doesn’t burn up in a fire to save their loved ones they become the suspect,” she said. “That’s not science.”
Dubs said that arson experts will prove that the fire was accidental, and that Greene’s initial explanation to firefighters - that a candle in the children’s room started the blaze - was true.
Prosecutors pointed to a statement they call a confession, which they say Greene made to investigators two days after the fire, as the true timetable of events.
Three first responder witnesses - two Cabarrus County EMS paramedics and a firefighter - testified that Greene was acting “theatrically” and was “putting on a show” for paramedics and family members the night of the fire, but said that she continually asked for her children and wanted firefighters to retrieve them from the home.
Investigators and other firefighters are scheduled to testify Wednesday.
Court officials expect the trial to last four weeks, but could extend two more if Greene is found guilty.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Judge allows Greene's statements to be heard
An alleged confession Lisa Louise Greene made to arson investigators will be heard by a jury in her double murder and arson trial, a Cabarrus County judge ruled today.
Defense attorneys attempted to suppress the statements she allegedly made to investigators three days after the Midland mobile home fire that killed her two children, but the motion to suppress was denied by Judge Robert Bell after a week of testimony.
Greene’s attorneys claim she was taking the medication Ativan, an anti-anxiety drug, during questioning and that investigators twisted her words.
In court documents filed by the prosecution, Greene allegedly told investigators she “set a blanket on fire and then placed that blanket on the bookcase outside the room where the children were sleeping … she then closed the door of the kids’ bedroom and went back to the recliner in the living room and sat as the fire burned.”
Bell said that he would allow the alleged statement to be heard in court but remarked he was “bothered” that detectives hadn’t recorded or videotaped the questioning.
Bell also ruled against a motion for a mistrial that defense attorneys made after prosecutors turned over more than 2,000 pages of documents pertaining to possible state witnesses Monday.
A motion to stay court proceedings so defense attorneys could review the documents was also denied.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s lead attorney, pleaded with Bell to give the defense more time to review the documents and prepare, but after four weeks of jury selection and one week for suppression hearings, Bell would only grant an extended weekend.
The trial will begin Tuesday, Bell said.
Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Defense attorneys attempted to suppress the statements she allegedly made to investigators three days after the Midland mobile home fire that killed her two children, but the motion to suppress was denied by Judge Robert Bell after a week of testimony.
Greene’s attorneys claim she was taking the medication Ativan, an anti-anxiety drug, during questioning and that investigators twisted her words.
In court documents filed by the prosecution, Greene allegedly told investigators she “set a blanket on fire and then placed that blanket on the bookcase outside the room where the children were sleeping … she then closed the door of the kids’ bedroom and went back to the recliner in the living room and sat as the fire burned.”
Bell said that he would allow the alleged statement to be heard in court but remarked he was “bothered” that detectives hadn’t recorded or videotaped the questioning.
Bell also ruled against a motion for a mistrial that defense attorneys made after prosecutors turned over more than 2,000 pages of documents pertaining to possible state witnesses Monday.
A motion to stay court proceedings so defense attorneys could review the documents was also denied.
Lisa Dubs, Greene’s lead attorney, pleaded with Bell to give the defense more time to review the documents and prepare, but after four weeks of jury selection and one week for suppression hearings, Bell would only grant an extended weekend.
The trial will begin Tuesday, Bell said.
Greene could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Defense questions detective on statements
In the second day of hearings to suppress an alleged confession Lisa Greene gave to investigators, Greene’s defense attorneys quizzed a detective on tactics used to lure her to an interview.
Defense attorney Robert Campbell questioned Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Detective Kevin Pfister’s intentions when he told the court he had invited Greene to the sheriff’s office to fill out paperwork to reclaim custody of her Midland mobile home. Pfister testified he never intended for Greene to fill out any paperwork and the reason for the invitation was so investigators could question her about perceived inconsistencies in her original statement.
“I wanted her to cooperate. She may not have cooperated if I had told her the truth,” Pfister said.
Pfister testified that before inviting Greene for the interview he believed she played a role in her children’s deaths.
Defense attorneys filed the motion to strike a statement investigators said she gave where she admits culpability by allegedly telling detectives the fire started on a blanket she was carrying and she did nothing to extinguish it. Campbell told the court Greene had been prescribed Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, and was taking the drug during detective questioning. According to a manufacturer’s warning, Ativan’s side effects include hallucinations, drowsiness, amnesia and forgetfulness.
Pfister testified Thursday Greene appeared lucid during questioning. He testified Friday he never asked Greene about her medication.
Campbell also inquired about why Pfister didn’t record or videotape Greene’s interview.
Pfister said he had never recorded a interview of a suspect, and that he had always relied on his handwritten notes.
Questioning intensified after Pfister remembered on the stand statements Greene made that weren’t in the final interview notes.
Pfister testified Greene told investigators: “I didn’t kill my youngins, y’all,” before and after she gave her alleged confession.
“You say she confessed, but at the same time she’s saying ‘I didn’t do it’,” Campbell said.
Campbell asked if there could be other things Greene told investigators that didn’t make it into the final interview notes.
“That is possible,” Pfister replied.
Suppression hearings will continue Monday. The trial phase is expected to last at least four weeks.
Greene is accused of killing her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10 and Addison Macemore, 8, in a Jan. 10, 2006 Midland mobile home fire. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation in the fire. Greene is charged with arson and two counts of murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Defense attorney Robert Campbell questioned Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Detective Kevin Pfister’s intentions when he told the court he had invited Greene to the sheriff’s office to fill out paperwork to reclaim custody of her Midland mobile home. Pfister testified he never intended for Greene to fill out any paperwork and the reason for the invitation was so investigators could question her about perceived inconsistencies in her original statement.
“I wanted her to cooperate. She may not have cooperated if I had told her the truth,” Pfister said.
Pfister testified that before inviting Greene for the interview he believed she played a role in her children’s deaths.
Defense attorneys filed the motion to strike a statement investigators said she gave where she admits culpability by allegedly telling detectives the fire started on a blanket she was carrying and she did nothing to extinguish it. Campbell told the court Greene had been prescribed Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, and was taking the drug during detective questioning. According to a manufacturer’s warning, Ativan’s side effects include hallucinations, drowsiness, amnesia and forgetfulness.
Pfister testified Thursday Greene appeared lucid during questioning. He testified Friday he never asked Greene about her medication.
Campbell also inquired about why Pfister didn’t record or videotape Greene’s interview.
Pfister said he had never recorded a interview of a suspect, and that he had always relied on his handwritten notes.
Questioning intensified after Pfister remembered on the stand statements Greene made that weren’t in the final interview notes.
Pfister testified Greene told investigators: “I didn’t kill my youngins, y’all,” before and after she gave her alleged confession.
“You say she confessed, but at the same time she’s saying ‘I didn’t do it’,” Campbell said.
Campbell asked if there could be other things Greene told investigators that didn’t make it into the final interview notes.
“That is possible,” Pfister replied.
Suppression hearings will continue Monday. The trial phase is expected to last at least four weeks.
Greene is accused of killing her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10 and Addison Macemore, 8, in a Jan. 10, 2006 Midland mobile home fire. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation in the fire. Greene is charged with arson and two counts of murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Detective reads statements in pretrial hearing for Lisa Greene
Lisa Greene wept loudly during Thursday’s court hearings as Cabarrus Detective Kevin Pfister read statements she allegedly gave to arson investigators the night her two children died in the Jan. 10, 2006, Midland mobile home fire, which she is accused of starting.
Pfister was called to testify in a hearing to suppress a confession Greene, 42, allegedly gave to investigators. Pretrial motions began Thursday after the third and final alternate juror was selected after a four-week seating process.
The detective testified that Greene quoted her son, Daniel Macemore, 10, as saying, “Momma, don’t leave us,” as flames filled his sister’s room.
During his hour-long testimony, Pfister said that Greene told investigators the night of the fire that she had attempted to enter the room but “the flames were too high” and that she had burned her foot attempting entry. He said Greene told investigators that Daniel had slept in the same room as his sister, Addison Macemore, 8, the night of the fire because “he couldn’t sleep by himself, ever.” Greene’s attorneys, in pretrial motions, argued that the fire began accidentally from two lighted candles in the children’s room.
Pfister testified that the statement was the first of three Greene gave to him.
The third statement, which prosecutors believe is a confession, was given three days after the fire, Pfister testified. Reading from that statement in court, Pfister testified that Greene told investigators the fire started when a blanket she was carrying caught fire and she did nothing to extinguish the blaze.
“I don’t know why I didn’t wake my kids,” Pfister read in court. “I wanted to lay down and forget everything. I wanted to go to sleep and forget everything.”
Greene’s attorney, Robert Campbell, grilled Pfister during cross-examinations because this was Pfister’s first homicide case since he was promoted to detective from community police officer. Campbell also questioned why Pfister didn’t record the conversation with video or audio devices.
In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Greene’s court-appointed attorneys said she was on medication when the statement was given and she was distraught because detectives questioned her during the time of her children’s wake.
Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney Ashley Shandley continually asked Pfister at Thursday’s hearing if Greene seemed to be incoherent, not in control or upset while investigators questioned her. Pfister testified that Greene seemed lucid during questioning and that her walk “wasn’t prohibited or bothered in anyway.” The detective testified that he wasn’t aware of the extent of her injuries, but that her bandaged foot “was pink and had a few black specks.”
Cross-examination will continue Friday, and others are scheduled to testify in the pretrial hearing, which could push the trial’s start date as late as Tuesday.
Greene is charged with murder and arson and faces the death penalty if found guilty. The trial is scheduled to last four weeks, and could be extended two more for death penalty considerations if she is found guilty.
-Josh Lanier
Pfister was called to testify in a hearing to suppress a confession Greene, 42, allegedly gave to investigators. Pretrial motions began Thursday after the third and final alternate juror was selected after a four-week seating process.
The detective testified that Greene quoted her son, Daniel Macemore, 10, as saying, “Momma, don’t leave us,” as flames filled his sister’s room.
During his hour-long testimony, Pfister said that Greene told investigators the night of the fire that she had attempted to enter the room but “the flames were too high” and that she had burned her foot attempting entry. He said Greene told investigators that Daniel had slept in the same room as his sister, Addison Macemore, 8, the night of the fire because “he couldn’t sleep by himself, ever.” Greene’s attorneys, in pretrial motions, argued that the fire began accidentally from two lighted candles in the children’s room.
Pfister testified that the statement was the first of three Greene gave to him.
The third statement, which prosecutors believe is a confession, was given three days after the fire, Pfister testified. Reading from that statement in court, Pfister testified that Greene told investigators the fire started when a blanket she was carrying caught fire and she did nothing to extinguish the blaze.
“I don’t know why I didn’t wake my kids,” Pfister read in court. “I wanted to lay down and forget everything. I wanted to go to sleep and forget everything.”
Greene’s attorney, Robert Campbell, grilled Pfister during cross-examinations because this was Pfister’s first homicide case since he was promoted to detective from community police officer. Campbell also questioned why Pfister didn’t record the conversation with video or audio devices.
In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Greene’s court-appointed attorneys said she was on medication when the statement was given and she was distraught because detectives questioned her during the time of her children’s wake.
Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney Ashley Shandley continually asked Pfister at Thursday’s hearing if Greene seemed to be incoherent, not in control or upset while investigators questioned her. Pfister testified that Greene seemed lucid during questioning and that her walk “wasn’t prohibited or bothered in anyway.” The detective testified that he wasn’t aware of the extent of her injuries, but that her bandaged foot “was pink and had a few black specks.”
Cross-examination will continue Friday, and others are scheduled to testify in the pretrial hearing, which could push the trial’s start date as late as Tuesday.
Greene is charged with murder and arson and faces the death penalty if found guilty. The trial is scheduled to last four weeks, and could be extended two more for death penalty considerations if she is found guilty.
-Josh Lanier
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Jury Selection Nearly Complete
CONCORD - Jury selection is almost complete in the Lisa Louise Greene double-murder trial after nine days of questioning.
Ten jurors have been chosen as of Thursday and Judge Robert Bell (Mecklenburg) told attorneys he expected to have all 12 jurors and two to three alternates chosen by the middle of next week.
Jury selection began Oct. 8 as Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley and Greene’s attorneys, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, quizzed potential jurors on their views of the death penalty, their knowledge of the case and their ability to decide the case regardless of outside factors.
At least four jurors were excused because their religious or personal views wouldn’t allow them to sentence anyone to death. Almost all of the jurors questioned said they had heard of the case in the news, but would be able to make a decision based solely on court proceedings.
Greene, 42, has remained predominantly stoic during jury selection. However, the first day during pretrial motions, she appeared animated and continually turned to her supporters to show excitement or anger at certain rulings.
The jury will be paid $12 for the first day of service, $20 the second through the fifth and $40 each additional day. The trial is expected to last four weeks, not including a sentencing phase, which could add a possible two weeks, court officials said.
After jury selection is complete, pre-trial hearings are scheduled to begin, including suppression of an alleged confession Greene made to arson investigators days after the fire.
The “guilt or innocence” phase of the trial could begin as early as Oct. 29, court officials said.
Greene is accused of killing her two children by setting her Midland trailer on fire on Jan. 10, 2006. Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire. She is also charged with arson, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted, jurors would have to decide between sentencing her to life in prison or the death penalty. If sentenced to death, she would be the first woman to receive that sentence in Cabarrus County’s history.
Ten jurors have been chosen as of Thursday and Judge Robert Bell (Mecklenburg) told attorneys he expected to have all 12 jurors and two to three alternates chosen by the middle of next week.
Jury selection began Oct. 8 as Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley and Greene’s attorneys, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, quizzed potential jurors on their views of the death penalty, their knowledge of the case and their ability to decide the case regardless of outside factors.
At least four jurors were excused because their religious or personal views wouldn’t allow them to sentence anyone to death. Almost all of the jurors questioned said they had heard of the case in the news, but would be able to make a decision based solely on court proceedings.
Greene, 42, has remained predominantly stoic during jury selection. However, the first day during pretrial motions, she appeared animated and continually turned to her supporters to show excitement or anger at certain rulings.
The jury will be paid $12 for the first day of service, $20 the second through the fifth and $40 each additional day. The trial is expected to last four weeks, not including a sentencing phase, which could add a possible two weeks, court officials said.
After jury selection is complete, pre-trial hearings are scheduled to begin, including suppression of an alleged confession Greene made to arson investigators days after the fire.
The “guilt or innocence” phase of the trial could begin as early as Oct. 29, court officials said.
Greene is accused of killing her two children by setting her Midland trailer on fire on Jan. 10, 2006. Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire. She is also charged with arson, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted, jurors would have to decide between sentencing her to life in prison or the death penalty. If sentenced to death, she would be the first woman to receive that sentence in Cabarrus County’s history.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Jurors say they have no bias
Potential jurors in the Lisa Greene murder and arson case said on Tuesday that they would be able to put aside any information they may hear outside of the courtroom about the case if they are called to serve.
Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, Greene's attorneys had asked Superior Court Judge Robert Bell on Monday to move the trial to another location because media attention could bias a Cabarrus County jury. Bell said he would only consider the change in venue if several jurors showed signs of a bias because of media scrutiny. Of the eight jurors questioned by Ashlie Shandley, Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney, five said they had seen media coverage of the case but would base their decision solely on courtroom testimony. One juror was excused Tuesday because he said his religious convictions, wouldn't allow him to kill another person - no matter what the circumstances.
Bell estimated that court proceedings could last eight weeks: Four weeks for jury selection and four weeks for the trial phase.
Bell also ruled Tuesday that he would allow television cameras in the courtroom after ruling Monday that he would allow still-frame photographs to be taken. Jon Buchan, an attorney representing local media outlets, argued that cameras in the courtroom would alleviate any misinformation about that case. Greene's attorneys and Shandley objected to cameras in the courtroom. Greene is on trial for the death of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison, Macemore, 8 in a trailer fire on Jan 10, 2006. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning. If found guilty she could face the death penalty.
Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, Greene's attorneys had asked Superior Court Judge Robert Bell on Monday to move the trial to another location because media attention could bias a Cabarrus County jury. Bell said he would only consider the change in venue if several jurors showed signs of a bias because of media scrutiny. Of the eight jurors questioned by Ashlie Shandley, Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney, five said they had seen media coverage of the case but would base their decision solely on courtroom testimony. One juror was excused Tuesday because he said his religious convictions, wouldn't allow him to kill another person - no matter what the circumstances.
Bell estimated that court proceedings could last eight weeks: Four weeks for jury selection and four weeks for the trial phase.
Bell also ruled Tuesday that he would allow television cameras in the courtroom after ruling Monday that he would allow still-frame photographs to be taken. Jon Buchan, an attorney representing local media outlets, argued that cameras in the courtroom would alleviate any misinformation about that case. Greene's attorneys and Shandley objected to cameras in the courtroom. Greene is on trial for the death of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison, Macemore, 8 in a trailer fire on Jan 10, 2006. Both children died of carbon monoxide poisoning. If found guilty she could face the death penalty.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Greene has first day at trial
Lisa Louise Greene, 42, had her first day in court Monday as pretrial hearings and jury selection began in the first-degree murder and arson case.
Greene is accused of intentionally starting a fire at her Midland trailer on Jan. 10, 2006, that took the lives of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10 and Addison Macemore, 8. If she is found guilty, Greene could face life in prison or be sentenced to death.
Court proceedings stemming from Greene’s misdemeanor drug possession and possession of drug parphenalia charges lodged after police found the items at her home the night of the fire had been scheduled for a later date, but in a pretrial motion filed by Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shandley, Judge Robert Bell (Mecklenburg County), joined the two. Greene’s defense team, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, objected to that motion.
Bell will hear testimony this morning on whether a statement given to arson investigators on Jan 13, 2006, in which Greene allegedly confessed to starting the fire will be suppressed because, according to Dubs statements at trial, Greene was on medication during the interview and was pressured into going with police. Dubs called the sworn document “false” and “inflammatory.”
In other pretrial motions, Greene’s attorneys requested that court proceedings be moved to another county on the grounds that the media attention of the case could have influenced the Cabarrus County jury pool. Bell said that he would wait to give a decision until after speaking with potential jurors and getting a better understanding of the issue.
Greene was animated during the initial proceedings, throwing her hands up and shaking her head as ADA Shandley read articles and reports by news outlets, and she continually turned and smiled or grimaced to the more than 30 family members and friends who sat in the gallery at Monday’s hearings as Bell made rulings on motions.
After pretrial hearings, 80 potential jurors were brought in and asked to fill out a six-page questionnaire about the case that will be used to screen out unwanted jurors.
If the 12 jurors and two alternates necessary for the case aren’t found in the initial batch of potential jurors more will be brought into for questioning later this week. - Josh Lanier
Greene is accused of intentionally starting a fire at her Midland trailer on Jan. 10, 2006, that took the lives of her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10 and Addison Macemore, 8. If she is found guilty, Greene could face life in prison or be sentenced to death.
Court proceedings stemming from Greene’s misdemeanor drug possession and possession of drug parphenalia charges lodged after police found the items at her home the night of the fire had been scheduled for a later date, but in a pretrial motion filed by Cabarrus County Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shandley, Judge Robert Bell (Mecklenburg County), joined the two. Greene’s defense team, Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, objected to that motion.
Bell will hear testimony this morning on whether a statement given to arson investigators on Jan 13, 2006, in which Greene allegedly confessed to starting the fire will be suppressed because, according to Dubs statements at trial, Greene was on medication during the interview and was pressured into going with police. Dubs called the sworn document “false” and “inflammatory.”
In other pretrial motions, Greene’s attorneys requested that court proceedings be moved to another county on the grounds that the media attention of the case could have influenced the Cabarrus County jury pool. Bell said that he would wait to give a decision until after speaking with potential jurors and getting a better understanding of the issue.
Greene was animated during the initial proceedings, throwing her hands up and shaking her head as ADA Shandley read articles and reports by news outlets, and she continually turned and smiled or grimaced to the more than 30 family members and friends who sat in the gallery at Monday’s hearings as Bell made rulings on motions.
After pretrial hearings, 80 potential jurors were brought in and asked to fill out a six-page questionnaire about the case that will be used to screen out unwanted jurors.
If the 12 jurors and two alternates necessary for the case aren’t found in the initial batch of potential jurors more will be brought into for questioning later this week. - Josh Lanier
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Jury Selection Begins in murder trial
Jury selection is set to begin this morning in the trial of a woman accused of setting a fire outside the bedroom where her children were sleeping.
Lisa Greene is charged with arson and two counts of first-degree murder. She faces the death penalty if she is convicted.
Defense attorneys will try today to suppress some of the statements investigators say she made. They will also try to persuade a judge to move the trial out of Cabarrus County to another venue because of previous media coverage.
Prosecutors say Greene said she set a blanket on fire and laid it on a bookshelf outside the room where the children slept. Investigators say Greene told them that as the shelf burned, she closed the door and sat in a living room recliner. They say she left when she began to smell smoke and didn't do anything to help the children.
Ten-year-old Daniel Macemore, and his 8-year-old sister, Addison, died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. - AP
Lisa Greene is charged with arson and two counts of first-degree murder. She faces the death penalty if she is convicted.
Defense attorneys will try today to suppress some of the statements investigators say she made. They will also try to persuade a judge to move the trial out of Cabarrus County to another venue because of previous media coverage.
Prosecutors say Greene said she set a blanket on fire and laid it on a bookshelf outside the room where the children slept. Investigators say Greene told them that as the shelf burned, she closed the door and sat in a living room recliner. They say she left when she began to smell smoke and didn't do anything to help the children.
Ten-year-old Daniel Macemore, and his 8-year-old sister, Addison, died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. - AP
Friday, October 5, 2007
Life and Death Decisions
A jury that is scheduled to be selected Monday in the Lisa Louise Greene case will have the option to sentence her to life in prison or death by lethal injection if she is found guilty of first-degree murder. A recent decline in the number of death penalty sentences handed down by juries will make the case interesting for Cabarrus County prosecutors.
Greene is accused of intentionally starting a fire at her Midland mobile home on January 10, 2006 that killed her children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8. In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Cabarrus County District Attorney, Roxann Vaneekhoven, said that the crimes Greene is accused of are “especially heinous,” and that the death penalty was necessary.
Isaac Unah, a UNC political science professor who has studied North Carolina death penalty cases, said juries have returned fewer death verdicts in recent years because of a national debate against the death penalty.
“Juries, like everyone else, watch the news and they hear things about cases of individuals put to death who are later exonerated, death penalty cases are always in the news,” Unah said. “There’s a national trend against the death penalty. Juries are citizens as well.”
A 2006 Gallup poll found that 65 percent of Americans were in favor of the death penalty, but Unah believes that poll numbers are inflated because they are only yes or no answers.
“On a gut level most people feel that the death penalty is necessary,” he said. “But we continually see a decline in death sentences because once juries begin to think about the implications and irreversibility of their decision they side against that option.”
Tyler Gladden, convicted in the 2002 contract murder of Tara Chambers and her child, was sentenced to life plus 50 years on Aug 4. Cabarrus jurors had the option to sentence Gladden to die.
Gladden’s case was the first death penalty case in seven years for Cabarrus County. Cabarrus County prosecutors do not keep records of how many death penalty cases they’ve tried and it is unknown how many juries have returned a sentence of life in prison instead of the death penalty.
Since North Carolina lifted automatic death penalty sentences for first-degree murder cases in 1967 and allowed juries to decide death sentences, only four Cabarrus County individuals have been sentenced to die.
David Lawson was the last man executed from Cabarrus County. He died in the gas chamber on June 2, 1994, after being convicted of killing Wayne Shinn. According to previous reports, Shinn caught Lawson breaking into his Concord home in 1980. After a fight ensued, Lawson shot Shinn and his father, who survived, at point blank range in the back of the head.
Lawson made national headlines when he asked the Phil Donahue Show to televise his execution. The U.S. Supreme Court denied that request.
Since Lawson, three other Cabarrus County men from have waited their turn for the needle. Two of them, Andrew Craig and Francis Anthony were removed from death row when a superior court judge vacated their death sentences for a life sentences in 2002.
Ernest McCarver’s death sentence was put on hold by a Supreme Court ruling in 2001 that asked a lower N.C. circuit court to review medical information that he was mentally retarded. McCarver’s stay of execution was handed down only hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection, North Carolina’s only method of execution. He is on death row. He was convicted of the robbery and murder of a Cabarrus County restaurant owner, Woodrow Hartley.
Individuals must be convicted of first-degree murder and at least one of 11 aggravating circumstances to be eligible for the death penalty in North Carolina. - Josh Lanier
Greene is accused of intentionally starting a fire at her Midland mobile home on January 10, 2006 that killed her children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8. In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Cabarrus County District Attorney, Roxann Vaneekhoven, said that the crimes Greene is accused of are “especially heinous,” and that the death penalty was necessary.
Isaac Unah, a UNC political science professor who has studied North Carolina death penalty cases, said juries have returned fewer death verdicts in recent years because of a national debate against the death penalty.
“Juries, like everyone else, watch the news and they hear things about cases of individuals put to death who are later exonerated, death penalty cases are always in the news,” Unah said. “There’s a national trend against the death penalty. Juries are citizens as well.”
A 2006 Gallup poll found that 65 percent of Americans were in favor of the death penalty, but Unah believes that poll numbers are inflated because they are only yes or no answers.
“On a gut level most people feel that the death penalty is necessary,” he said. “But we continually see a decline in death sentences because once juries begin to think about the implications and irreversibility of their decision they side against that option.”
Tyler Gladden, convicted in the 2002 contract murder of Tara Chambers and her child, was sentenced to life plus 50 years on Aug 4. Cabarrus jurors had the option to sentence Gladden to die.
Gladden’s case was the first death penalty case in seven years for Cabarrus County. Cabarrus County prosecutors do not keep records of how many death penalty cases they’ve tried and it is unknown how many juries have returned a sentence of life in prison instead of the death penalty.
Since North Carolina lifted automatic death penalty sentences for first-degree murder cases in 1967 and allowed juries to decide death sentences, only four Cabarrus County individuals have been sentenced to die.
David Lawson was the last man executed from Cabarrus County. He died in the gas chamber on June 2, 1994, after being convicted of killing Wayne Shinn. According to previous reports, Shinn caught Lawson breaking into his Concord home in 1980. After a fight ensued, Lawson shot Shinn and his father, who survived, at point blank range in the back of the head.
Lawson made national headlines when he asked the Phil Donahue Show to televise his execution. The U.S. Supreme Court denied that request.
Since Lawson, three other Cabarrus County men from have waited their turn for the needle. Two of them, Andrew Craig and Francis Anthony were removed from death row when a superior court judge vacated their death sentences for a life sentences in 2002.
Ernest McCarver’s death sentence was put on hold by a Supreme Court ruling in 2001 that asked a lower N.C. circuit court to review medical information that he was mentally retarded. McCarver’s stay of execution was handed down only hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection, North Carolina’s only method of execution. He is on death row. He was convicted of the robbery and murder of a Cabarrus County restaurant owner, Woodrow Hartley.
Individuals must be convicted of first-degree murder and at least one of 11 aggravating circumstances to be eligible for the death penalty in North Carolina. - Josh Lanier
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Names escape them, but neighbors can't forget the crime
MIDLAND - Most residents don’t remember her name, but they haven’t forgotten the charges against Lisa Louise Greene.
Greene, 42, is charged with killing her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, in a house fire on Jan. 10, 2006. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
Several Midland residents said they were familiar with the case and had formed an opinion about it.
Outside of the Sunday Shop, a popular ice cream and sandwich shop in Midland, less than a mile from where the fire occurred, many customers said finding an impartial jury will be difficult to do.
According to court officials, the jury will consist only of Cabarrus County residents.
Several customers said they have driven past Greene’s former home because they wanted to see it for themselves.
The trailer, located at 10925 Candilara Lane, has switched owners three times since Greene went to jail on Jan. 13, 2006. It’s been renovated and remodeled.
“We had no idea that anything like that had happened here,” said the current owner, who did not want to be identified. “We didn’t find out until a few weeks ago when someone came looking for information on the case.”
The publicity around the case because of the public interest has been the subject of several pretrial motions on who should have jurisdiction to rule in the trial.
In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Greene’s court-appointed attorneys, Lisa Andrew Dubs and Richard Campbell, opposed a motion by Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley that asked Judge Erwin Spainhour, a Cabarrus County Superior Court Judge, to retain jurisdiction over the case.
In the court documents, Shanley said the notoriety, among other things, in the case would best be handled in the county where the offenses took place and the defendant lives.
Dubs and Campbell argued that “heightened interest makes it less appropriate for a judge who is elected in the same community to appoint himself to preside over (the) case.”
Because of the motions, Judge W. Robert Bell (Mecklenburg County) has been in brought to preside over the case.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. - Josh Lanier
Greene, 42, is charged with killing her two children, Daniel Macemore, 10, and Addison Macemore, 8, in a house fire on Jan. 10, 2006. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
Several Midland residents said they were familiar with the case and had formed an opinion about it.
Outside of the Sunday Shop, a popular ice cream and sandwich shop in Midland, less than a mile from where the fire occurred, many customers said finding an impartial jury will be difficult to do.
According to court officials, the jury will consist only of Cabarrus County residents.
Several customers said they have driven past Greene’s former home because they wanted to see it for themselves.
The trailer, located at 10925 Candilara Lane, has switched owners three times since Greene went to jail on Jan. 13, 2006. It’s been renovated and remodeled.
“We had no idea that anything like that had happened here,” said the current owner, who did not want to be identified. “We didn’t find out until a few weeks ago when someone came looking for information on the case.”
The publicity around the case because of the public interest has been the subject of several pretrial motions on who should have jurisdiction to rule in the trial.
In court documents obtained by the Independent Tribune, Greene’s court-appointed attorneys, Lisa Andrew Dubs and Richard Campbell, opposed a motion by Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley that asked Judge Erwin Spainhour, a Cabarrus County Superior Court Judge, to retain jurisdiction over the case.
In the court documents, Shanley said the notoriety, among other things, in the case would best be handled in the county where the offenses took place and the defendant lives.
Dubs and Campbell argued that “heightened interest makes it less appropriate for a judge who is elected in the same community to appoint himself to preside over (the) case.”
Because of the motions, Judge W. Robert Bell (Mecklenburg County) has been in brought to preside over the case.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. - Josh Lanier
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Greene trial set to begin next week
CONCORD - The trial for a mother accused of killing her two children by starting a fire at the Midland mobile home where the family lived is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection.
Lisa Louise Greene, 42, could face the death penalty or life in prison if found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson in the January 10, 2006 fire.
Greene’s court appointed attorneys Lisa Andrew Dubs and Richard Campbell, have asked for more time to prepare for the trial, but their last appeal for a continuation was denied, setting an Oct. 8 court date, according to a court document obtained by the Independent Tribune.
A Cabarrus County judge has issued a “gag order,” barring anyone associated with the case from speaking to the media. Judge Robert Bell, a superior judge from Mecklenburg County, will preside over the case.
According to court documents, the Midland Volunteer firefighters responded to Greene’s doublewide trailer at 10925 Candilara Lane after receiving a 2 a.m. 911 call from neighbors who had heard her screams for help. Firefighters found the two children, Nathan “Daniel” Macemore, 10, and Addison Brooke Macemore, 8, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in the back bedroom. Police found half an ounce of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the living room of the house and arrested Greene, documents said.
Greene initially told investigators that the fire likely started with a candle that was lit in the children’s room. During an interview Jan. 13, 2006, investigators told Greene that little fire damage was seen inside the room with the children and she then confessed to starting the blaze by lighting a blanket on fire and placing it on top of a bookcase outside of the children’s room, documents said.
In a sworn statement by N.C. SBI Special Agent Mullis, an arson investigator recounted the interview with Greene.
“Greene admitted that she knew that the bookcase outside the kid’s room had caught on fire. Greene admitted to this (investigator) that she then closed the door of the kids’ bedroom and went back to a recliner in the living room and sat as the fire burned.”
After smelling smoke, Mullis’ statement continued, she left the residence. Greene admitted she did nothing to assist her children.
An arson expert, John Lentini, hired by Greene’s defense team who is scheduled to testify will rebut investigators claims that the fire began outside of the children’s room.
Her attorney’s have issued a motion to suppress the confession because they claim she was taking medication given to her the night of the fire by emergency room doctors and she was distraught because the five and a half hour interview took place during the funeral visitations for her children.
A hearing for the suppression is scheduled for next week.
Greene has been held in the Cabarrus County jail with no bond since Jan 13, 2006. - Josh Lanier
Lisa Louise Greene, 42, could face the death penalty or life in prison if found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson in the January 10, 2006 fire.
Greene’s court appointed attorneys Lisa Andrew Dubs and Richard Campbell, have asked for more time to prepare for the trial, but their last appeal for a continuation was denied, setting an Oct. 8 court date, according to a court document obtained by the Independent Tribune.
A Cabarrus County judge has issued a “gag order,” barring anyone associated with the case from speaking to the media. Judge Robert Bell, a superior judge from Mecklenburg County, will preside over the case.
According to court documents, the Midland Volunteer firefighters responded to Greene’s doublewide trailer at 10925 Candilara Lane after receiving a 2 a.m. 911 call from neighbors who had heard her screams for help. Firefighters found the two children, Nathan “Daniel” Macemore, 10, and Addison Brooke Macemore, 8, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in the back bedroom. Police found half an ounce of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the living room of the house and arrested Greene, documents said.
Greene initially told investigators that the fire likely started with a candle that was lit in the children’s room. During an interview Jan. 13, 2006, investigators told Greene that little fire damage was seen inside the room with the children and she then confessed to starting the blaze by lighting a blanket on fire and placing it on top of a bookcase outside of the children’s room, documents said.
In a sworn statement by N.C. SBI Special Agent Mullis, an arson investigator recounted the interview with Greene.
“Greene admitted that she knew that the bookcase outside the kid’s room had caught on fire. Greene admitted to this (investigator) that she then closed the door of the kids’ bedroom and went back to a recliner in the living room and sat as the fire burned.”
After smelling smoke, Mullis’ statement continued, she left the residence. Greene admitted she did nothing to assist her children.
An arson expert, John Lentini, hired by Greene’s defense team who is scheduled to testify will rebut investigators claims that the fire began outside of the children’s room.
Her attorney’s have issued a motion to suppress the confession because they claim she was taking medication given to her the night of the fire by emergency room doctors and she was distraught because the five and a half hour interview took place during the funeral visitations for her children.
A hearing for the suppression is scheduled for next week.
Greene has been held in the Cabarrus County jail with no bond since Jan 13, 2006. - Josh Lanier
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Greene could face death penalty
Lisa Louise Greene could face the death penalty if convicted of setting a fire that killed her two children. On Friday a superior court judge approved a motion filed by the Cabarrus District Attorney’s Office making it a capital murder case.
Greene’s defense attorneys also requested bond for Greene. That motion was denied.
Ashlie Shanley, Cabarrus County assistant district attorney, described Greene as a woman tired of raising her two children, and who started a fire at her Midland home to suffocate them with carbon monoxide.
The children suffered from asthma and were afraid of fire, Shanley said.
When the fire started, Greene shouted through the closed bedroom door and told the children to stay on the bed and wait until she came with help, she said.
Greene, 40, was charged Jan. 13 with two counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of first-degree arson, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges stem from a Jan. 10 fire at 10925 Candilara Lane in Midland that killed Greene’s two children, 8-year-old Addison Brooke Macemore and 10-year-old Nathan “Daniel” Macemore.
More than 20 of Greene’s family and friends were in the courtroom.
Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, Greene’s court appointed
attorneys, requested bond for Greene. Long denied the motion after Dubs presented her case and Greene is being held at the Cabarrus County Jail.
Dubs said she was able to find at least seven cases in which an individual charged with a capital murder case was released on bond. One of those cases was in Cabarrus, she said.
During the bond hearing, Dubs played the 911 tape from the night of the fire at Greene’s home.
As the tape played, Dubs placed her arm over the shoulder of Greene, who sat crying in the courtroom wearing a green prisoner’s uniform.
Her relatives also cried as they listened to the tape of Greene screaming for help after a neighbor called 911.
Dubs said that the night of the fire, Greene fell asleep in her chair and that many witnesses could testify that Addison and Daniel liked to use candles in their room.
Dubs said that a smoke alarm woke up Greene on the night of the fire and she tried to reach her children, but couldn’t.
Dubs said that one report states that during the fire all Greene could say was, “‘Go get my kids’ and ‘Where are my kids?’”
She said Greene was taken to NorthEast Medical Center where she was treated for smoke inhalation.
She also said that Greene had a third-degree burn to her foot. That was a discrepancy from the prosecution’s records that showed Greene only had a minor burn.
Shanley alleged that Greene’s motive for the murder was that she didn’t want to have children and couldn’t find a man to be with because of having children.
But Dubs said Greene, despite being a single mother, had a support system that helped her raise her two children.
Greene’s mother, Dale, testified Friday.
She said Lisa Greene was a photographer who would travel to various schools and take yearbook photos. When Lisa Greene was gone, she would often watch the children.
“I watched Daniel and Addison when she was at work. I’d put them on the bus and I’d watch them when they got off the bus,” Dale Greene said. “I was there a lot with them.”
Dubs also said that the day of the fire, the children’s bookbags were packed for school, they had snacks and signed papers ready for the next day.
“Those are not the actions of a careless mother,” Dubs said. “They are certainly not the actions of a mother planning to kill her children.”
Dubs said there was no motive for Greene to kill her children because there was no insurance policy on the children and there many family members who could aid with child care.
“They were healthy, normal children without any signs of abuse,” Dubs said.
Dubs said Friday that she may file a motion to submit statements made by Greene the day she was arrested.
Shanley stated that Greene told detectives she placed a blanket on fire outside the door to the children’s bedroom. The blanket caught the bookcase on fire and she then closed the door.
Shanley said Greene then went to sit in her recliner chair as the smoke began to build.
“Doing nothing to help these children,” Shanley said.
Shanley said Greene then went outside and waited, not expecting her neighbor’s dogs to start barking, which alerted Greene’s neighbor that was something was going on.
The neighbor called 911.
“Witnesses will say she did not make one move to get up and save her kids,” Shanley said. Shanley said Greene did ask for her car to be moved so it wouldn’t be burned in the fire.
Dubs said some of the statement’s Shanley was citing were made by Greene to deputies the same day she was arrested.
That was also the day she was preparing to attend her children’s funeral as well as using tranquilizers to stabilize her emotions. Dubs said the statements Greene may have made were done so under duress.
Dubs also said that when an attorney was contacted by Greene’s family, he was not allowed to sit in on the interview. Shanley said Greene never requested an attorney during the interview.
“Those statements are very suspect,” Dubs said. “She was called to the sheriff’s office the day that she was to start receiving (guests) for her children’s funeral.”-Michael Knox
Greene’s defense attorneys also requested bond for Greene. That motion was denied.
Ashlie Shanley, Cabarrus County assistant district attorney, described Greene as a woman tired of raising her two children, and who started a fire at her Midland home to suffocate them with carbon monoxide.
The children suffered from asthma and were afraid of fire, Shanley said.
When the fire started, Greene shouted through the closed bedroom door and told the children to stay on the bed and wait until she came with help, she said.
Greene, 40, was charged Jan. 13 with two counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of first-degree arson, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges stem from a Jan. 10 fire at 10925 Candilara Lane in Midland that killed Greene’s two children, 8-year-old Addison Brooke Macemore and 10-year-old Nathan “Daniel” Macemore.
More than 20 of Greene’s family and friends were in the courtroom.
Lisa Dubs and Robert Campbell, Greene’s court appointed
attorneys, requested bond for Greene. Long denied the motion after Dubs presented her case and Greene is being held at the Cabarrus County Jail.
Dubs said she was able to find at least seven cases in which an individual charged with a capital murder case was released on bond. One of those cases was in Cabarrus, she said.
During the bond hearing, Dubs played the 911 tape from the night of the fire at Greene’s home.
As the tape played, Dubs placed her arm over the shoulder of Greene, who sat crying in the courtroom wearing a green prisoner’s uniform.
Her relatives also cried as they listened to the tape of Greene screaming for help after a neighbor called 911.
Dubs said that the night of the fire, Greene fell asleep in her chair and that many witnesses could testify that Addison and Daniel liked to use candles in their room.
Dubs said that a smoke alarm woke up Greene on the night of the fire and she tried to reach her children, but couldn’t.
Dubs said that one report states that during the fire all Greene could say was, “‘Go get my kids’ and ‘Where are my kids?’”
She said Greene was taken to NorthEast Medical Center where she was treated for smoke inhalation.
She also said that Greene had a third-degree burn to her foot. That was a discrepancy from the prosecution’s records that showed Greene only had a minor burn.
Shanley alleged that Greene’s motive for the murder was that she didn’t want to have children and couldn’t find a man to be with because of having children.
But Dubs said Greene, despite being a single mother, had a support system that helped her raise her two children.
Greene’s mother, Dale, testified Friday.
She said Lisa Greene was a photographer who would travel to various schools and take yearbook photos. When Lisa Greene was gone, she would often watch the children.
“I watched Daniel and Addison when she was at work. I’d put them on the bus and I’d watch them when they got off the bus,” Dale Greene said. “I was there a lot with them.”
Dubs also said that the day of the fire, the children’s bookbags were packed for school, they had snacks and signed papers ready for the next day.
“Those are not the actions of a careless mother,” Dubs said. “They are certainly not the actions of a mother planning to kill her children.”
Dubs said there was no motive for Greene to kill her children because there was no insurance policy on the children and there many family members who could aid with child care.
“They were healthy, normal children without any signs of abuse,” Dubs said.
Dubs said Friday that she may file a motion to submit statements made by Greene the day she was arrested.
Shanley stated that Greene told detectives she placed a blanket on fire outside the door to the children’s bedroom. The blanket caught the bookcase on fire and she then closed the door.
Shanley said Greene then went to sit in her recliner chair as the smoke began to build.
“Doing nothing to help these children,” Shanley said.
Shanley said Greene then went outside and waited, not expecting her neighbor’s dogs to start barking, which alerted Greene’s neighbor that was something was going on.
The neighbor called 911.
“Witnesses will say she did not make one move to get up and save her kids,” Shanley said. Shanley said Greene did ask for her car to be moved so it wouldn’t be burned in the fire.
Dubs said some of the statement’s Shanley was citing were made by Greene to deputies the same day she was arrested.
That was also the day she was preparing to attend her children’s funeral as well as using tranquilizers to stabilize her emotions. Dubs said the statements Greene may have made were done so under duress.
Dubs also said that when an attorney was contacted by Greene’s family, he was not allowed to sit in on the interview. Shanley said Greene never requested an attorney during the interview.
“Those statements are very suspect,” Dubs said. “She was called to the sheriff’s office the day that she was to start receiving (guests) for her children’s funeral.”-Michael Knox
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