Kilpatrick Testifies He Didn't Delete E-mails

DETROIT (WWJ) - The question at Monday's federal court hearing: Did Kwame Kilpatrick purge e-mails during an investigation into the death of a stripper?

Looking fit and sporting a beard, the former Detroit Mayor told the court he can't recall much about what happened after he announced his resignation.  Kilpatrick said he's not a computer guy, and used his Blackberry for much of his communication.  He said he's not at all  tech-savvy and would not know how to purge e-mails from the city's server.

The purpose of the evidentiary hearing is to determine if Kilpatrick or the city destroyed e-mails related to the Tamara Greene murder investigation.

Greene was the exotic dancer said to have performed at an infamous, but never proven, wild party at the Manoogian Mansion.   Killed in a drive-by shooting, her murder remains unsolved.

WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton was in the courtroom, Monday.

"Kwame Kipatrick specifically said that he never received or sent any e-mails regarding the Tamara Greene case. Also, Kwame Kilpatrick said that he never  intentionally deleted any emails from 2002 to 2003, which is the subject matter of this lawsuit today," Langton said.

"The bottom line here is I don't think Norman Yatooma scored any points with Kwame Kilpatrick," he said.

Yatooma is representing the family of Tamara Greene. The family says Kilpatrick impeded the investigation into the young woman's death.

Kilpatrick and the city have denied any wrongdoing.   They have asked a federal judge to throw out the lawsuit.