Schenectady County resident Latrisha Greene, age 27, of Rotterdam, was arraigned on multiple charges of perjury and endangering the welfare of a child in Schenectady County Court on Monday, Dec. 19.
It came weeks after her husband, 29-year-old Dequan Greene, was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of Charlie Gray in December 2020.
Investigators determined that Charlie and his 5-year-old brother were abused for months after being placed in the Greenes’ care by Albany Child Protective Services.
Emergency crews were called to the couple’s home on Dec. 20, 2020, after getting a 911 call about a child who was in respiratory distress.
When paramedics arrived, the boy was not breathing, police said. He later died at Ellis Hospital.
Prosecutors said Greene had stomped on the boy’s chest, causing extensive internal injuries to his liver and intestines. Greene later claimed that the boy lost consciousness after falling out of a toddler chair.
In court Monday, prosecutors said after the couple’s biological children were removed from her custody, Mrs. Greene lied in various family court proceedings, falsely testifying that her husband had never caused bruising to either child.
Greene also falsely claimed that she never sent her husband a text message saying “no more bruises we need them to heal,” according to prosecutors.
Not only did she know about the abuse, but Greene “engaged in a course of conduct likely to be injurious to the welfare of Charlie and his 5-year-old brother,” the indictment alleges.
“The People’s theory of the case is that Greene and her husband both physically abused the boys and Greene used the COVID-19 pandemic and other excuses to prevent foster care service providers from discovering the children’s physical injuries,” the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“Later, Greene intentionally attempted to mislead the Schenectady County Family Court judge about her knowledge of and participation in the abuse to regain custody of her own children and avoid responsibility for her conduct.”
Greene pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on her own recognizance as the charges were ineligible for bail.
If convicted, she faces between 2 ⅓ years and seven years in prison for each count of perjury, and up to 364 days in jail for endangering the welfare of a child.
According to investigators, Greene continues to manage Ebenezer’s Dream Care Center in Glenville, providing drop-in childcare services and operating a preschool academy.
Attempts by Daily Voice to reach the business were unsuccessful, and its Facebook and Instagram accounts appear to be deleted.
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