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Son pleads guilty to beating dad to death with a shovel

Sean L. Greene accepts deal to admit to voluntary manslaughter.

Staff Writer

Thursday, May 29, 2008

A Beavercreek man admitted in Greene County Common Pleas Court Wednesday, May 28, to beating his father to death with a shovel.

Sean L. Greene, 21, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the Oct. 27, 2007 slaying of his father, Dale Greene, on the patio of their home at 2921 Wineland Trail in Beavercreek.

Greene entered his plea in exchange for prosecutors not presenting the case to a grand jury and seeking a murder charge.

Prosecutor Stephen K. Haller said the voluntary manslaughter charge fits this case because Greene argued with his father, flew into a "sudden fit of rage" and then struck him several times with a shovel. "I think it fits these facts to a T," Haller said.

Attorney Ronald Keller said the plea deal ensures Greene will serve no more than 10 years in prison. "He could have faced the death penalty in this case," he said.

Judge J. Timothy Campbell ordered a presentencing investigation be completed before Greene is back in court Aug. 1. The minimum sentence for Greene is five years probation although Haller said he would ask for a prison term. Greene remains free on bond.

Police originally charged Greene with murder and tampering with evidence after they were called to his residence for a reported suicide three hours after Dale Greene was beaten to death.

Officers found the father on the patio with his wrists slashed and suspected the son and mother, Karla Greene, tried to stage a suicide.

A medical examiner could not determine whether the cuts occurred before or after Greene's death, Haller said. There are no charges currently pending against Karla Greene, he said.

Contact the reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@DaytonDailyNews.com

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