The prosecution and Demorris Hunter’s defense team delivered opening statements on Monday before the state began calling witnesses to the stand. Hunter is facing a potential death sentence if he is found guilty of charges in the murder of Theresa Ann Green, who was found strangled to death in her car outside of a Walgreens Pharmacy.

Serial Killer on The Loose

On May 26, 2002, Hunter and Green were seen leaving the same neighbor’s party and going back to her place. They lived in the same apartment complex, so they were familiar with one another, but Hunter had just moved from California in March after he murdered another man. 

Witnesses gave their statements to the police after Green’s body was found. One in particular, Joseph Butler, was the host of the party and said he helped Hunter drive Green’s car and abandon it in the Walgreens’ parking lot. He claimed he did not know why, but when he asked and was met with “I did something really bad” as a response, he dropped the conversation.

Police were dispatched to the parking lot, where they found Green inside the trunk and declared her dead at the scene. Later, a medical examiner ruled that her death was a homicide by manual strangulation. 

Police also interviewed the owner of the white van, Henry Fields, who lent the defendant that vehicle, and said Hunter admitted to traveling to the area because he murdered someone in Oakland, California, a few months ago.

Opening Statements

Prosecutors delivered their opening statements on Monday, April 6, 2026. They walked through the events from that evening after the party. They said she was last seen at 2:30 am when the party ended and walked out with Hunter. 

The defendant was last seen with the victim’s car, dropping it off at a Walgreens the next morning. They reiterated that he admitted to doing something “really bad,” and then Green’s body was found wrapped up in her trunk.

Hunter’s defense immediately blames the alcohol consumption involved and acknowledges that this is a tragic situation, but the events around Green’s death are chaotic. They insisted that Hunter had nothing to do with her death and alleged that the victim slapped the party host, who retaliated, and a fight ensued after the party ended.

The Butler’s Testify

One of the party hosts, Joseph Butler, confirmed he was Green’s neighbor and that most of the apartment’s residents worked at the Florida Hospital. He said there was a large hole in the wall when he went into Green’s apartment and discovered she was missing.

He admitted that Green slapped him and he hit her back, but that the fight concluded there. Joyce Butler, the other host, corroborated the details of the fight. Joseph then alleged that Greem tried to kick Hunter down the stairs on their way out, but they both ended up tumbling down. The following morning, he helped Hunter drive a white van and Green’s car to Walgreens and left them there.

Lisa Moore, Joyce Butler’s daughter and Joseph’s stepdaughter, recalled the gathering from that night and said she saw Green and Hunter together at the party. She said she went over to Green’s apartment to use her phone when her stepfather was upset, but the defendant opened the door, saying to come back later. When she came back, no one answered.

The Crime Scene

Octavius Hayes, who was 13 at the time of his mother’s death, said he returned home to find holes in the wall, and the entire place a mess. Their stuff was thrown about, including the contents of his mother’s purse.

A retired officer of the Orlando Police Department, Roy Filipucci, testified that he responded to the missing person report for Green. When he arrived at the home, he noted the wall damage and the victim’s empty purse on the bed, and a gold watch on the bathroom sink. They quickly deemed Demorris Hunter as a suspect.

The jury then watched the recorded testimony of the images of the crime scene.