Judge rules Lorain teen accused of killing mom to be tried as an adult (VIDEO)

ELYRIA — A Lorain teen accused of fatally shooting his mother in the head as she slept in their West 24th Street home in Lorain will be tried as an adult on murder and other charges. Lorain County Juvenile Judge Lisa Swenski bound over the charges against Messiah Green, 17, to Common Pleas Court following an hourlong hearing Thursday in her courtroom. She also ordered him held without bond in the Lorain County Detention Home for juveniles. Messiah Green is charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, possession of criminal tools, domestic violence and multiple firearms specifications in the Aug. 31 shooting death of Melinda Green, 45. The Chronicle-Telegram is naming him because he will be tried as an adult. Messiah Green "will face an adult trial with adult consequences," Swenski ruled Thursday. The law required Swenski to send the case to Common Pleas Court, where adults are tried, if she found there was probable cause to believe that Messiah Green killed Melinda Green. That's a lesser legal standard than what is needed to find someone guilty of a crime, which is "beyond a reasonable doubt." Messiah Green remains "presumed innocent until proven guilty on each and every element of each and every charge," Swenski said in court. Lorain police and the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office alleged Messiah Green shot his mother once in the head with a revolver he was known to carry, while she slept in her bedroom around 6:30 a.m. Aug. 31. Melinda Green's cousin found her body after Messiah Green called her, according to Lorain police. He also told a female cousin that he was going to do something "stupid" and go with the "messier one" of his options that morning. Prosecutors and police allege that means he planned to murder his mother. Police found Messiah Green walking along the street about a mile away and took him into custody. He was 16 at the time of his arrest, and turned 17 on Oct. 15. The gun used to kill his mother still hasn't been recovered and other scientific tests still are awaiting results, Lorain police Detective Chris Kovach testified Thursday. His court-appointed attorney, Sean Boris, previously said Messiah Green didn't remember the shooting. He and attorney Priscilla Berthold, appointed by the court to represent Messiah Green's father, Daniel Davila, had asked Swenski to keep the charges in Juvenile Court. Encouraging the judge to deny bond, Assistant Prosecutor Cheryl Goodrum said in court that Messiah Green is a risk to flee. There was some evidence that Messiah Green was planning to run off to Kentucky after his mother's killing. He had a backpack packed with clothing, toiletries and a five-round speed loader for the missing murder weapon, she said. Messiah Green ran away from Lorain twice this year already, being found once in Oklahoma after stealing a car and driving there with a former girlfriend, and a second time being found in the Youngstown area. That girlfriend and her mother told authorities that Messiah Green threatened her. He also allegedly planned to kill the girlfriend's mother and her stepfather, according to testimony and statements Thursday in court. Messiah Green also has a history of making threats against his own family and the former girlfriend, authorities and the judge said in court. "We have a number of people who are afraid of (Messiah Green) and his violent and dangerous ways," Goodrum said in court. "If you murder your mother, you have no qualms about murdering anyone else." Boris and Berthold asked the court to let Messiah Green out while awaiting trial. "There are certain, reasonable conditions to secure his appearance in court," Boris argued, while Berthold said Messiah Green's family has "limited means" and asked for a "reasonable bond." Swenski denied their requests, and ordered Messiah Green held without bond. She said she didn't think Messiah Green's father or stepmother would be safe if he were let out to live with them, and that court records contained some "chilling" facts about threats of violence Messiah Green allegedly made in the past. That is "enough to deny any request for bond at this time," Swenski said. Swenski said Boris could ask that bond be reinstated when the case goes to Common Pleas Court or he could appeal her ruling directly to the 9th District Court of Appeals. If Green misbehaves at the detention home, Swenski told him he would be sent to the Lorain County Jail and held "sight and sound separated" from adult prisoners until he turns 18. "Your mother believed you could change," Swenski told Messiah Green. "Think about that."This story has been edited to correct the location of West 24th Street. An error was made in the editing process. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.