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.