Mom of 4 slain children will speak for 1st time
The mother of the four Dearborn Heights children found dead in their home last week allegedly at the hands of their father is expected to speak about the tragedy Wednesday before the visitation for her children.
Released from the hospital Friday, Faith Green, 39, plans to address the media at the O.H. Pye III Funeral Home in Detroit, said Lloyd Banks, a spokesman for the family and owner of Banks & Co. public relations and marketing company.
Green plans to talk about her children: Kaleigh, 4, and Koi Green, 5, andKara Allen, 17, and Chadney Allen, 19. The younger children were killed by carbon monoxide and the older children, the husband’s stepchildren, were shot to death, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Green “wanted to ensure that the (children’s) story was told,” Banks said Tuesday.
The mother, according to Banks and the mother’s family, will speak about the outpouring of public support following the tragedy as well as her children’s lives and accomplishments and how she is coping with her loss of them.
“Absolutely no questions about the horrific incident that took the children’s lives or the days or months leading up to it,” Banks said.
The court-appointed lawyer for Gregory Green said Tuesday he plans to file a motion for an insanity defense this week.
“I intend to refer him for a mental competency exam before his probable cause conference (Oct. 5),” said Charles Longstreet, adding he met with Gregory Green on Tuesday.
Green’s preliminary examination, scheduled for Oct. 12, could be adjourned for 90-120 days if a Dearborn Heights judge grants Longstreet’s motion for a psychiatric examination.
Nikki Harris, Faith Green’s sister said in a statement Tuesday: “Words cannot describe the horrific tragedy our family is experiencing over the untimely deaths of Chadney, Kara, Koi, and Kaleigh. We are devastated by this loss and at this time we are asking for privacy during this extremely difficult time.
“We are relieved to advise Faith Harris-Green is home and on the road toward recovery. As a family — we don’t understand every experience we encounter in life, but we do know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.”
The family also expressed its gratitude to Dearborn Heights authorities and city officials who worked on the case.
Green’s husband, Gregory, 49, was arraigned Thursday on multiple charges after authorities say he bound and tortured his wife early on Sept. 21 before fatally shooting her two older children in front of her, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police say Gregory Green called 911 around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday and waited for police in the driveway of the family’s home in the 4400 block of Hipp. Inside, investigators discovered Faith Green in the basement, bound with duct tape and zip ties.
“It is alleged that Green bound his wife, cut her face with a box cutter and shot her foot and then shot the two older children in front of her,” prosecuting officials said. The teens’ bodies were discovered in the basement while the bodies of the two young daughters were found upstairs. Police say Gregory Green asphyxiated them with carbon monoxide in the garage and them brought their bodies back into the house.
Gregory Green remains locked up with no bond in the Wayne County Jail and is on suicide watch.
Faith Green had filed for a personal protection order in Wayne County Circuit Court against her husband in February 2013. In her application — which was denied — she did not cite any physical assaults by Gregory Green, but she did say he “jumped at me like he was going to attack me. This went on for hours.” She also said he was “being belligerent, kicking things ... threatening me and saying if I didn’t leave things are going to get ugly, ” according to the filing.
The filing did not mention that Gregory Green had been released from prison five years earlier after serving 16 years for second-degree murder in the death of his first wife, who was six months pregnant. It’s unclear of Faith Green knew of her husband’s criminal past.
A GoFundMe page was set up Thursday to raise $50,000 to help the family bury the children. As of Monday, $37,554 had been pledged.
Visitation for the children is 3-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the O.H. Pye III Funeral Home, 17600 Plymouth.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Detroit First Church of the Nazarene, 21260 Haggerty, Farmington Hills. Interment will be at St. Hedwig Cemetery, 23755 Military Rd. in Dearborn Heights.
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