Trial of
ex-Memphis police officer in slaying delayed
The murder trial, scheduled to start Monday in DeSoto County Circuit
Court, of a former Memphis police homicide detective charged with killing his
wife has been continued until the fall.
Brooks Kelton Green, 72, is charged in the 2010 shooting death of
Charlotte Green as she sat at a computer in their DeSoto County home.
Shortly after the 9 a.m. trial was set to start Monday, Circuit Court
Judge Robert Chamberlin informed jurors that the prosecution had asked for and
was granted a continuance.
"This morning, I was made aware that the prosecution needed more
time to prepare and deal with some technical issues," Chamberlin said.
"I apologize that this had to happen, but it is just one of those things
that occurs with trials."
DeSoto County Dist. Atty. John Champion said that over the weekend, some
issues came to light and he needed more time to prepare.
Green's attorney, Steve Farese, said continuances are a normal part of
trials.
"We were ready to roll," Farese said. "My client was
ready to get things resolved, but after he was informed that the prosecution
had a technical issue that needed to be solved and there was no way they could
solve it today, he understood about the continuance."
Green's trial will now be in September or October.
The couple were married 52 years, and Brooks Kelton Green maintains his
innocence.
Multiple shots were fired through a window from outside the couple's
Nesbit home, authorities said. Charlotte Green, 70, was hit four times by the
gunfire as she sat in front of the computer on Aug. 8, 2010.
Authorities said Green told investigators with the DeSoto County
Sheriff's Office that the night his wife was killed, he was asleep and awakened
by her screams.
He was not arrested and charged until eight months after the slaying. He
was indicted last April.
Green
appeared for Monday's trial with his attorney at the courthouse in Hernando but
did not comment. He is free on a $75,000 bond.