The Cold Case of Tamara Greene

The Cold Case of Tamara Greene remains a mystery. In the early morning hours of April 30, 2003, Tamara Greene was shot to death in a drive-by shooting. She was in a car with her boyfriend Eric Mitchell. Mitchell survived the shooting.

The Detroit News described that Greene was in the driver’s seat and that they were in front of Mitchell’s house. They had just left the club where she worked as a stripper. It was approx. 340am. A white SUV turned the corner with a man holding a pistol out of the window.

Mitchell described him as: “light-skinned” just like the short man with whom he fought a few weeks before. Apparently Mitchell knew what was going to happen because he “ducked for cover into the foot-well of the Buick Skylark. He said nothing to Greene.” Why would you not warn your own girlfriend?

Tamara was hit “once behind the left ear, once through the jaw, and once through the left arm and chest. Mitchell was struck by five bullets, including once in the neck, according to official reports.” Mitchell managed to call for help. Whoever the shooter was, he never came back.

The bullets that killed Tamara came from a .40 caliber pistol which, at that time, was standard issue caliber for the Detroit Police Department. Coincidence? Maybe. The rumor went around that police was somehow involved. The Detroit Police did use Glocks at that time but if you Google .40 caliber guns you see other brands have that caliber as well. So are we sure that Tamara was shot with a Glock? Even if she was, it doesn’t follow that the shooter was a police officer.

The Detroit Free Press obtained a document that said that police investigators believed that Tamara was killed in a drug dispute. The documents are now sealed. Combined with a shooter who never came back (would a professional hit man not make sure his targets were dead?) and Mitchell who didn’t bother to warn his girlfriend of the impending danger, we have the ingredients for a mystery. Now add Tamara’s life as an exotic dancer. Rumor was that she had danced/stripped for powerful people. If true, you can imagine a cover up, blackmail, political careers in jeopardy, drugs, sabotage, and revenge. But worse, three children lost their mother.

Did she dance for the wrong people? Was she killed by mistake as Mitchell was the main target? Was her death a warning for Mitchell? If you read the articles listed below you can get side-tracked by the many angles in this case.

In April 2013, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen was correct in dismissing Greene’s family. They had argued for years that there was a cover-up by the former Mayor of Detroit. One of the rumors in this case was that Tamara strip danced at one of his parties inside the mayor’s mansion.

The mayor at that time was Kwame Kilpatrick. He resigned as mayor after he was convicted on felony charges that included perjury and obstruction of justice. Judge David Groner sentenced him to four months in jail on October 28, 2008, after he pleaded guilty. He was released on probation after serving 99 days.

On May 25, 2010, he was sentenced to 18 months-5 years in prison for violating his probation and served time at the Oaks Correctional Facility in northwest Michigan. On March 11, 2013, he was convicted on 24 federal felony charges that included mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering. On October 10, 2013, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal prison system but there is however an option to get time off for good behavior.

We have not touched on the extramarital affairs and other scandals here but as you can tell, Kilpatrick is quite a character. But was he was involved in Tamara’s murder?

Tamara has not been forgotten by her family and her son is still asking anyone to come forward to tell the truth. Someone must have some answers for this family.

There are many things that need clearing up in Tamara’s case, yes. Her family has tried but in Nov 2011 “Federal Judge Gerald Rosen ruled against the media’s request to unseal documents in the case, saying he wants to protect the ongoing investigation and the privacy of third parties. Sworn testimony from Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox in the Tamara Greene murder investigation will remain under court seal for the time being.”

Many discrepancies and unanswered questions, it is no wonder that at this point Tamara’s murder remains unsolved. Hopefully this will eventually change. You can read a lot more about her case here.

Resources:

Detroit News:

Who killed Tamara Greene from March 14, 2008

Detroit Free Press:

No evidence Kwame Kilpatrick derailed Tamara Greene death probe April 25, 2013

Deadline Detroit:

Son of Slain Stripper Tamara Greene Renews Call to Reopen Investigation Jan 9, 2014

CBS Detroit:

Overview of several articles about Tamara Green

Documents Name Tamara Greene’s Killer Sept 16, 2010

WXYZ Detroit:

Attorney Norman Yatooma drops several defendants in Tamara Greene Lawsuit June 3, 2010