Cleo Joel Green

Cleo Joel Green III (September 7, 1957 – May 12, 2006)[1] was an American murderer and burglar active in Louisville, Kentucky in the summer of 1983. In 1989, he was convicted of the murder of 76-year-old Ina Mae York, as well as two other attacks.[2]

Cleo Joel Green
Born(1957-09-07)September 7, 1957
Jefferson County, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMay 12, 2006(2006-05-12) (aged 48)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Other namesRed Demon
Conviction(s)Murder, burglary, assault and attempted rape
Criminal penalty40 years' imprisonment
Details
Span of crimes
July – August 1983
CountryUnited States
State(s)Kentucky
Date apprehended
August 13, 1983

Background

In 1983 he was unemployed and living with his mother.[3] He was known to have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and at the time of his arrest he believed he was being chased by a large bird and floating demons.[2][4]

Attacks and arrest

On July 3 Green burglarized the Clarksdale housing project apartment of 76-year-old Ina Mae York[5] and attacked her with a hatchet in her bedroom. Her son discovered her decapitated body the following morning.[2][6]

On July 19[7] Green broke into the home of 73-year-old Almira Watson. He stole a radio and stabbed her in the neck 22 times with a pair of scissors, which she miraculously survived.[2]

Around 12:30 am on August 13[8] Green entered the apartment of 69-year-old Rosetta M. Smith, a double amputee on a kidney dialysis machine, through a window. Green assaulted and attempted to rape her, though she managed to fight him off for an hour and a half,[9] ending when she "grabbed him by the testicles and squeezed until he passed out" and then alerted neighbors. When police arrived Green was still lying unconscious on the floor.[2][5] He was arrested and held on $100,000 bond.[8]

Trial and imprisonment

Green was ruled incompetent to stand trial three times until 1989, when his mental illness subsided. On November 20, he pled guilty to the murder of York and the two other attacks and was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. Due to his guilty plea, he avoided the death penalty, and due to time served he was considered eligible for parole in 1991, the earliest.[2] However it is unclear when or if he was ever released.

Green died on May 12, 2006, in Louisville.[1][10]

See also

References
  1. "Cleo Joel Green III". Ancestry.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  2. "Man gets 40 years in murder of elderly Louisville woman". The Courier-Journal. November 21, 1989. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  3. "Article clipped from The Courier-Journal". The Courier-Journal. October 5, 1986. p. 166. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  4. "Prof probes the mind of murder". The Daily News. March 13, 2000. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  5. "A young Louisville man accused of attacking a double..." UPI. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  6. "Brutal murder shocks Clarksdale". The Courier-Journal. July 4, 1983. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. "Man indicted again in attack cases". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. "Man charged in decapitation of woman, 76". The Courier-Journal. August 16, 1983. p. 12. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  9. "Lakeland Ledger – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  10. "CLEO GREEN OBITUARY". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
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