Lymorris Martin
Rachel Green
A preliminary autopsy report for a man stabbed to death in April confirms he was stabbed once, not multiple times as investigators originally thought.
The report from the Hamilton County medical examiner's office shows Lymorris Martin, 59, was stabbed once in the left arm. Officers responding to the scene on the 3200 block of Broad Street arrived at 3:58 a.m. and applied a tourniquet, but Morris was pronounced dead five minutes later.
A suspect, Rachel Green, 51, was arrested at the scene and charged with criminal homicide shortly after.
Police first said Martin suffered multiple stab wounds, but during a court hearing for Green on June 13, investigator Taylor Walker with the Chattanooga police said that was because of how Martin fell.
"[Martin was] sitting on the ground just inside the doorway, his back was rested against the wall next to the door," he said. "There was too much blood to see exactly where the wound was on the top part of his arm."
Walker said the blood from the wound had pooled on Morris' torso in a way that made it appear he had been stabbed more than once.
In the same court hearing, Ernest Green, Rachel Green's brother, said he was in the room during the incident and although he didn't see the stabbing, he did see Martin punch his sister during a domestic disorder.
"My sister and Mr. Martin got into a little argument," he said. "They were shouting at each other."
He said Martin punched Green in the eye, and although he didn't actually see the stabbing take place in the ensuing scuffle, he could see blood coming from what appeared to be Martin's side.
"He jumped up and said he'd been stabbed," Ernest Green said.
Rachel Green told police after the stabbing that Martin swore at her before punching her right eye and she grabbed the kitchen knife to stop the assault.
"I poked him just a little bit," she told police. "He ain't never hit me like that."
She also told police she couldn't have called them before the situation escalated, but an investigator concluded that her life was not in danger and she could have removed herself from the situation without resorting to deadly force.
At the conclusion of last week's hearing, Rachel Green's case was sent to a grand jury by Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Clarence Shattuck.
"You see things happen. It's a terrible situation. Sometimes we don't always intend the consequences of our actions," Shattuck said. "This is a horrible consequence."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.