Cox Deposed In Tamara Greene Case
DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox was deposed by the lawyer for the family of Tamara Greene for more than eight hours Friday.
However, Birmingham lawyer Norman Yatooma, who is representing Greene’s family said the deposition is not nearly finished as he exited the courthouse Friday.
Greene, a dancer known as Strawberry, was rumored to have been at a never-proven party thrown at a Manoogian mansion by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2002. It was also rumored that Greene was assaulted by the mayor’s wife, Carlita, when she walked into the party and saw Greene with Kilpatrick.
On April 30, 2003, Greene was in a car with her boyfriend on Detroit’s west side when a gunman opened fire on their vehicle, killing Greene and wounding the boyfriend.
“Although the Attorney General’s office has never been involved in the Tamara Greene homicide investigation and case law would likely preclude any Attorney General from testifying in a case like this, Attorney General Cox will voluntarily offer testimony in her family’s suit against the City of Detroit in order to offer information regarding the department’s 2003 investigation of the Manoogian Mansion party rumors,” Cox’s office said in a statement last month.
The deposition will remain sealed and it’s up to a judge to decide after the testimony concludes whether he will make the transcripts public.
Both sides remained tight-lipped when they exited the courthouse Friday.
“I tried to answer all the questions and be as open as possible, and that’s all I can really say,” said Cox.
“It wasn’t cordial. We’re not making friends — we’re lawyers. We’re making progress,” said Yatooma.
Cox said he is not worried this will reflect poorly on his campaign to run for governor.
“I was a career prosecutor for many years and I want to clear up any of the questions they have,” said Cox. “Of course, it’s been six and a half year but I will answer whatever questions they have. It was a righteous investigation.”
Yatooma is representing Greene’s family in a $150 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Detroit. Yatooma’s lawsuit claims Kilpatrick and high-ranking police obstructed the investigation into Greene’s unsolved slaying.
Yatooma said it’s about time Cox is answering his questions.
“My hope is to get my questions answered. This is about a conspiracy and about a cover-up and we are finally talking to one of the key people who had the greatest opportunity to offer assistance to the cover-up the most,” Yatooma said as arrived at the deposition.
“I’m going to cooperate with Judge Rosen and answer whatever questions he has,” Cox said as he walked into the Federal Court House in Detroit just before at 8 a.m.
Kilpatrick has denied that such a party took place.
Cox in 2003 investigated and said he found no evidence that a party had occurred, calling the event an “urban legend.”
Michigan State Police detective Mark Krebs gave six hours of testimony about the investigation into the Manoogian mansion party. He was one of three detectives who were looking into Greene’s assault until the case was closed.
Kreb’s testimony revealed that he believed the Detroit Police Department was destroying evidence in the case. He said 30 tapes, including 911 calls disappeared from a vault inside Detroit Police Headquarters.
But his testimony also said because of actions by Cox, he felt he was powerless to stop them.
Kreb said Cox killed the investigation by refusing to allow investigators to subpoena witnesses and insisting that Kilpatrick’s wife, Carlita, not be interviewed at all and that Kilpatrick have a meeting with him.
“It’s the idea that the state troopers were trying to investigate and they were denied subpoena power by the attorney general’s office. So shut down, well if you have no subpoena power you have no opportunity to move forward,” Yatooma said.
In an interview with Local 4, Cox denied any wrongdoing.
“The reality is that you’re trying to change this into some corrupt conspiracy that somehow I’m in bed with that loser who’s in Houston, Dallas or wherever he is,” Cox said.
Detroit police reopened Greene’s homicide case file in early October.
The decision to reopen the case follows a Local 4 Defender investigation that uncovered a team of new police officers who, in sworn statements, said they were shut down when they tried to follow up on leads.
The latest investigator to speak out was retired Michigan State Police Col. Lt. Bob Bertee, who had more than 30 years on the job.
“When I opposed the fact that they were going to meet with the mayor of Detroit by themselves, and it was conveyed to me after objecting that well, I should consider it a meeting between two elected offices,” Bertee told Local 4.
He said he did not think it was proper.
“I told them it was ridiculous and that this would come back to haunt them,” Bertee said.
Bertee said he believes the investigation was stalled.
“I have nothing to gain here. This was an extremely frustrating process.
In addition to the officers, Local 4 has spoken with several city workers who said they were punished for speaking out on the rumored party.
• Cenobio Chapa, a city EMT, came forward with his recollection of seeing a woman that matched the description of Greene at a local hospital the night of the alleged party.
• Michael Kearns, city EMT, said he saw Greene at a Detroit Shell gas station with a swollen left eye.
• Doug Bayer, city EMT, said he saw Greene at Detroit Receiving Hospital and was told by a fellow EMT that Kilpatrick’s wife, Carlita, had assaulted her.
• Joyce Rogers was a clerk at DPD headquarters when, she say, she saw a report about how the mayor’s wife assaulted Greene.
