ATHENS — Mirroring her husband, a Tennessee woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in the fatal beating of a 74-year-old Ardmore man.
Jeannie Carol Green, 38, of 29882 Jones Road, Lot 4, Ardmore, Tenn., entered her plea Tuesday in the murder of her neighbor, Art Champion, at his home on Nov. 10, 2006.
She and her husband, 44-year-old Derrick Green, and Randall “Bingo” Clem, 42, of 26425 Hamlett St., Apt. A-1, Ardmore, were charged with capital murder, robbery and burglary. They are accused of causing Champion’s death and of stealing $100 in change from him to buy crack cocaine.
Derrick Green already pleaded guilty in exchange for a life sentence.
Clem’s trial is set for March 1, unless he enters a guilty plea in the mean time.
Jeannie Green’s plea Tuesday saved her life.
“I amended her charge from capital murder to felony murder, which carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison,” Limestone County District Attorney Kristi Valls said Wednesday. “We agreed to amend the charge for her testifying against her husband.”
Limestone Circuit Judge James Woodroof Jr. will sentence her March 11.
Jeannie Green was prepared to testify against her husband at his capital murder trial scheduled for Monday. Because he pleaded guilty before the trial, a jury was empanelled Monday to briefly hear the evidence in the case before a judge could accept the plea. During that proceeding, Valls read Jeannie Green’s statement about what transpired the night of Nov. 10, which implicated her husband and fulfilled her promise to testify against him.
Valls noted that Derrick Green had three prior felony convictions.
“So he was looking at life without parole regardless, so he pleaded guilty to capital murder (to avoid the death penalty),” she said.
According to court testimony, on the night of Nov. 10, the Greens and Clem ran out of crack cocaine. They went to Champion to borrow money to buy more but he refused. Jeannie Green returned to Champion’s house and left the door unlocked when she exited, so Derrick and Clem could enter. Derrick fatally beat Champion with a hickory stick and they stole $100.65 in change with which they bought more crack.
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