Judge To Rule On Evidence In Tamara Greene Case
DETROIT (WWJ) - Wednesday could mark a pivotal moment in a family's years-long struggle trying to find out who killed exotic dancer Tamara Greene.
Federal Judge Gerald Rosen will decide if enough evidence has been provided by Greene's family attorney, Norman Yatooma, to show there was a cover up in the murder investigation.
The suit claims city and police officials stymied an investigation into the 2003 shooting death of 27-year-old Greene. She was rumored to have performed at a never-proven 2002 Manoogian Mansion party during the time Kwame Kilpatrick was Detroit's mayor. The city and Kilpatrick have denied the claims.
WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton said theories as to why the city would cover up the murder investigation are not relevant to the Greene family's suit against the city.
"We have all these theories of why the city may have covered up the murder, the party at Manoogian Mansion, the beating by Mrs. Kilpatrick of Tamara Greene, etcetera, etcetera."
Langton said Greene's family is making the leap that if evidence was destroyed as determined earlier by a magistrate, their constitutional rights were affected - and that's why he believes their case will go to trial.
"I would have said the judge was going to throw the case out because I don't think there's enough evidence. However, the magistrate has found that the city intentionally destroyed emails. And maybe those emails could have led the jury to conclude that the city was in fact, covering up."
Langton said the judge could still throw out the case and impose sanctions or fines against the city for destroying evidence. But if the case goes forward, Langton said it's likely the city will settle.
