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.
