Mentally ill man convicted of murder in October 2013 death of wife

May 08--A Travis County jury deliberated about two hours Friday before rendering a guilty verdict against Lee Andrew Green, charged with murder in the October 2013 killing of his wife.

Green, 52, faces up to life in prison in the punishment phase of his trial, which began Friday afternoon.

Prosecutors this week have portrayed Green as a remorseless killer who stabbed his wife, Francisca Garcia-Guerra, in a fit of rage on the morning of Oct. 29, 2013. But his lawyers argued he had been the victim of poor mental health services and acted in self-defense when his wife threatened him as he was going through a moment of psychosis.

In closing arguments Friday, assistant district attorneys focused on the harrowing details of the crime. They pointed to the wounds on Garcia-Guerra's chest, back and face.

They said Green tried to clean up the scene and prevented her 5-year-old son from getting help. Officers who responded to the Central Austin apartment, when he called police in the early hours the next day, found the young boy wandering along a dark street in superhero pajamas, according to testimony. He had blood on his shoes and clothes.

"This is deliberate conduct," Assistant District Attorney Sareta Davis told jurors in closing arguments Friday. "We would not be here if he were not fit to stand trial."

But defense lawyer Kelly Bailey suggested Garcia-Guerra had been homeless and had been taking advantage of Green, who had schizophrenia and the IQ of a child. She had hurt him before and had been attempting to kick him out of his home as he was going through a mental health crisis, she said, pointing to defense testimony.

In the days before the attack, defense witnesses said, he had been on a downward spiral as a psychiatrist at a county clinic for low-income residents had switched his medication without following proper procedure.

His landlord said she had seen Green deteriorate in the weeks before the assault. He had lost weight, looked disheveled and smelled as if he had not showered in days, according to defense testimony. In the 48 hours before the incident, he had gone to two separate emergency rooms in attempts to have himself committed to a state hospital.

"Don't be a part of a system that has failed and failed and failed," Bailey said. "Y'all are his last chance. I don't know how to make it more clear. This is it. This is the last chance for Mr. Green."

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