Case Acquitted: Jury Finds Murder Suspect Acted in Self-Defense: Verdict, Not Guilty

By Jaclyn Sersland [former] - August 24, 2023
Daily Stories | Featured | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Green was acquitted of murder on Aug. 24, 2023.

On Aug. 24, a female defendant who testified about killing her boyfriend in self defense was found not guilty. 

Tamika Green, 37, is found not guilty of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the death of 37-year-old Bryan Tate Jr. on Feb. 20, 2020 in an apartment on the 1600 block of 18th Street, SE. However, Green was found guilty of carrying a pistol without a license. 

Defense attorneys said Green was acting in self defense when she shot Tate, her boyfriend at the time, during a physical altercation. Tate died from gunshot wounds sustained to his shoulder and hip. 

After an intense three week trial and four days of deliberations, a jury of nine women and three men found Green not guilty of murdering Tate because she was acting in self defense. 

Prosecutors tried to prove Green’s guilt by presenting Green’s text messages they said showed that Green was resentful of Tate and had the motive to kill him. 

According to court documents, Green sent several messages to Tate in the hours before his death saying things like “Fuck U,” and “U Ah WHOLE BITCH Out Here!!!!!!” 

Prosecutors called on 29 witnesses, some of them including firearms experts, crime scene analysts, Tate’s family members, and medical examiners, to attempt to prove her guilt. A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Sergeant Detective testified about Green covering up Tate’s death to detectives. 

According to court documents, Green told detectives a burglar broke into their house and shot Tate, but she managed to escape with her three-year-old nephew. Defense attorneys argued she was too scared to tell detectives the truth because Tate’s parents were former MPD officers.

Prosecutors said during opening statements back on Aug. 2, “she fled, she never came back, she told stories that never made sense…. She had the gun, she had the bullets, she had the motive, and then she tried to cover it up.”

Three witnesses testified about having restraining orders against Tate because he was violent towards them. Green’s friend testified about an incident where Tate was convicted of smashing her car windows with a carjack while she was still in the car. Two of his ex-girlfriends testified that Tate was allegedly violent towards them at least once during their relationships. 

During an emotional testimony, Green testified about multiple instances where Tate was abusive towards her during their relationship and about the night she killed Tate. 

She said the fight started after she said she was going to call someone else to take her and her nephew to 7-eleven to get ice cream because Tate wouldn’t. According to Green, Tate pushed her into the wall while her nephew was still in her arms. 

She said she never thought Tate would bring her nephew into this and she had gone into the room with him to call her nephew’s mom to pick him up when Tate snatched her phone, dragged her out of the room by her hair, slammed her into a closet door, and started choking her. 

Green said “I couldn’t breathe,” and “He kept squeezing. He wouldn’t stop.” 

Green said she thought at that moment, “this is it. I might not walk out of that apartment,” but, “by the grace of God I got away.” 

According to Green, she managed to escape and grabbed his gun, but she shot him when he wouldn’t stop coming towards her anyway. 

Tate’s family walked out immediately after the verdict was read. After the jury was excused, Green was crying and hugging her defense attorneys, Kevann Gardner and Hannah Claudio, while saying thank you.

Parties will return on Aug. 28 to discuss releasing Green prior to her sentencing on Oct. 20.