The Killing of Cowboy Ray Green | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] what is cowboy action shooting cowboy action shooting is a shooting discipline
based on the guns of the Old West the days of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday we dress for the most part in Period
accurate clothing Spurs and chaps it's full competition shooting still targets with lead bullets sounds like a
blast it is literally a blast every time these are some very competitive shooters
top shooters in the world now everyone has an alias right correct a cowboy name my name is George Mann and
my Alias and cowboy action shooting is Angus McNasty my Alias is high cotton Kitty phony James sassy hammer Ray was
known as doc R green and how about Danny what was her name well Danny Oakland she
was Daniel like Annie Oakley yeah like Annie Oakland I taught them how to do cowboy action
shooting Danny was more proficient more driven and focused Ray he was there just for the fun
gray was funny you looked at him and you see cowboy [Music] it's the All-American type cowgirl and
she had the long pigtails they seemed like to me the perfect couple but you know you never know
what's going on in a relationship well there was problems in the marriage especially Financial issues and they had
money and then they lost everything Sheriff's Department had received a call to investigate a complaint and it was in
regard to the residents of Ray green and Danielle Green Danny said that her dog killed Ray
he drove back through the Barns and as I got closer to the trailer I observed multiple police cars
different agencies there were probably 15 guys that were out moving about the property and what were they doing they
were looking for Ray Green she was sitting in a lawn chair she said she had given consent to search
for Rey and that she did not know where he was she said you can search anywhere you
want except for that box [Music] foreign [Music] on May 28 2014 police were called to
this remote piece of property in Dillsboro Indiana the home of Danny and Ray Greene
the sheriff's department had received a call from Rey's 84 year old mother Betty
my Danny had called other family and friends too saying it was Jazzy the couple's own pet who had attacked Ray
police drove out to check but when they arrived neither Rey nor Jazzy could be seen and they say Danny seemed to be
just going about her day she's interested in feeding her horses and just engaged in conversation like
nothing else is going on prosecutor Aaron Negan guard says Danny then gave an entirely different story
saying Rey who sometimes worked as a truck driver was out on the road the problem with that there was a big truck
in the property the officers were suspicious that something was up so the officers pinged his phone
and his phone came back to that piece of property and there was this that padlocked toolbox sitting on the
property Danny refused to let anyone open it so authorities set off to get a search warrant
my grandmother had called me at work and told me that Danielle had said that the
dog killed him Tracy Abbott is Rey's daughter with his first wife Maggie animals like him how can a dog kill him
[Music] Tracy remembers her father's special way with all kinds of animals growing up on
their 200 acre San Antonio Ranch my dad was a real cowboy Ray began his career riding bulls and
bareback Broncos served two tours in Vietnam but it was this simple Country Life where he felt
most at home he always wore his cowboy hat and Boots never went anywhere without them
Rey was a renowned horse breeder and trainer had he developed a successful business
yes he did we had like 70-something horses friends like Dave wore remember Rey as a
real straight shooter when he shook his hand you knew you were shaking a man's hand he was very powerful and very
strong Bob Stevens another friend of Rey's remembers a time when Rey captured a 12-foot alligator with his own two hands
we contacted Animal Control they set up traps and this Gator was so big it would
break the traps Ray trapped it himself and put it in the barn [Music] Tracy says her parents Rey and Maggie
had a loving relationship they were best friends they known each other's my mom was six and he was 11.
we were the close-knit family but that all ended in May of 2002 when Maggie was killed in a bridge collapse
in Oklahoma she was on her way home from a barrel race with her horses a guard slammed into a bridge along Interstate
40 punching nearly a dozen Vehicles 75 feet into the water among among the dead horse trainer Maggie Greene
Rey who had called Maggie his Rose was left devastated he kept saying I miss my rose I miss my
rose his light went out a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the victims as a result the Green family
received a large sum of money there was a pretty big settlement that he had gotten a little over a million dollars
when did Danielle come into your father's life abruptly she came in the picture maybe two months after my mother
died Danielle who went by Danny was a longtime client of rays a skilled horse woman herself Danny hired Ray back in
1996 to train her horses soon after Maggie's death Tracy says a newly divorced Danny started hanging
around the ranch every day Ray didn't chase her she came in to raise life and you know said the things that Ray wanted
to hear so that blossomed into a relationship Danny 22 years younger than Rey seemed
to provide the companionship he needed after losing his wife and helped him move on
foreign they took a vacation and came back married [Music] I was happy [Music] but Tracy was not happy with Danny
she would come out wearing my mother's cowboy hats and her nice cowboy boots and some of my mom's jewelry
after Danny solidified her place in Ray's life she set her sights on her equestrian dreams
her goal in life was to get into the Olympics in dressage so she did some research and Ground Zero
for dressage in the Olympics was Palm Beach County Duets decided to move to Florida you
all are settlement from Maggie's death this was the property owned by Ray and Danielle Green
they owned this five acre lot and the five acre lot to the east of us the house was near the Stables where Danny
could train the U.S trials for the Olympics were held in Deer Run and she wanted to be a part of that and was she
talented she was very talented rebuilt her a workout room in the house that she'd get up at five o'clock and
she'd spend all day just doing horse trainings she would be on the horses from sun up
to sundown and when she wasn't in the saddle they discovered that fun and unusual Hobbit
after Danny and Ray got married and moved here to Florida they got interested in cowboy action shooting
part Target competition part costume fun they would travel to events like this one howdy y'all having a good morning
yeah all right start off with the pledge Don Owen runs the event I pledge allegiance
to the flag we have competitors from every walks of life we have attorneys we have surgeons we have electricians the
people are what makes it [Music] [Applause] Oakley and Doc are green were both beloved here they were a huge part of
the family an amazing cowboy great part of our family these big matches are like a reunion
it's fun to see everybody again and catch up friends Karen and Jerry Eau Claire say Danny was a natural
and she quickly became the top shooter at the club she really could handle a gun oh yeah
and at the time I was the top shooter of the club and she just soared right by me
she wanted to win life in Florida seemed like a winning proposition for both Danny and Ray but
that was about to change [Music] thank you [Music] this is like a little piece of heaven
it's quiet surrounded by Woods Bob Stevens says Danny and Rey's neighborhood near West
Palm Beach had become a perfect Refuge when they arrived in 2004. all these houses were designed so you couldn't see
a neighbor's house it has 22 miles of horse trails that don't intersect with any roads
foreign dropped 18 last week and the S P 500 but the dream died in 2008 when the economy
collapsed it was just devastating for Rey the horsing Market fell apart corsage fell apart they were using the
second mortgage to pay the first mortgage and it was just a disaster for a while Danny and Ray struggled to
keep up their lifestyle still attending their cowboy action shooting matches but
now trying to make a bit of money on the side off the livestock they kept at the
ranch the chickens would lay eggs and she would bring eggs for everybody people would buy the eggs Danny and Ray
caught a break when they were hired by their own neighborhood to become landscapers I had to contract to take
care of the right-of-ways mow the grass take care of the ditches did you get any
sense that Danny felt like that was a real step down in their lives that he's now cutting grass I don't think so I
don't think she was like that she was not materialistic she was not status driven Rey's daughter Tracy disagrees I
believe it the only reason why she wanted to marry my father was for his money Tracy didn't know her father had lost
all his money after he moved to Florida Tracy mysteriously couldn't reach teach him he would ask me how come you never
call me I miss you turns out Ray and Danny shared a single cell phone and Danny blocked Tracy's number I got this
message saying this phone is no longer taking calls from this number she had blocked my emails and letters I sent him
a certified Christmas card with pictures of his grandbabies and it came back denied
why would she do that that seems cruel very cruel it really broke my heart not to have my father in my life anymore
but that was her way of keeping all the money to herself the money now all gone the million
dollar settlement Ray received after Tracy's mother was killed in that bridge collapse to lose
my mother the way I did and then now being separated from my father it was very heartbreaking
heartbreak spilled over to Danny's side of the family as well while she'd achieved some success on the local Horse
Show scene her Olympic Dreams remained elusive then in 2012 Denny received devastating news from her Indiana Family
Home both of her parents were terminally ill they both had cancer at the same time yes I think she felt that that was
her place to go up and take care of them and besides there was no place for them
down here anymore so Danny and Ray sold their Florida property at a big loss with the
Landscaping contract their only source of income Rey stayed behind mowing grass and living with a friend Dave War
remembers the day Dany headed north Ray had asked a couple of his friends to come over and help them load some of the
big items out of their house into a moving van he had misplaced the box that had his personal items in it Dave says
Rey asked Danny if she'd seen the box and she went off on him berating him belittling him in front of everybody I
made the comment to my friend this comment haunts me to this day it wouldn't surprise me if she doesn't kill
him one day Dave says raise paychecks got sent directly to Danny Back Home In Indiana
I've seen him literally live off of Cold Cereal he would make a meal out of bread and water if he had to because he
had no money to live there was one bright spot during this troubled time Tracy was able to
re-establish a relationship with her father who at last got his own cell phone we finally got to talk almost
every day we were able to finally have a relationship again Bob Stevens gave Ray
a special gift an airplane ticket and the chance to reconnect with his family in Texas I gave him the trip on his
birthday and he flew out there and he had a great time with his daughter and granddaughters I felt like I could not
let him go I just would hug him forever and happy tears happy tears I was so glad to see him
in 2013 both of Danny's parents passed away and raised Landscaping contract expired Danny was poised to come into an
inheritance the parents owned 300 acres up in the in a mountain there was three children they
were each going to get 100 acres it had a farmhouse on it that needed to be renovated
so Ray moved to Indiana and joined Danny living in a trailer on the large property she was in control anytime
she's around my father so moving back to be with her I felt I was never going to hear from him again Danny planned on
running the property as a horse farm Ray found work as well Ray decided to get his Trucker's license so they would have
a form of steady income by the end of 2013 Ray and Danny were together again but they were about to break apart at
least on paper he qualified for Social Security with his first wife who died in the bridge accident Ray would be able to
collect Social Security as Maggie's widower but he'd have to divorce Danny to do it so they got divorced for more
income not that he didn't want to be with his wife anymore but to get Social Security yes
in the spring of 2014 Ray and Danny had started a new chapter together in Indiana
but it all ended with that shocking message to family and friends Danny said that her dog killed Ray
[Music] [Music] in May 2014 Ray Greene's mother Betty made that call to an Indiana Sheriff's
Department near Dillsboro saying she'd heard the strangest story from Danny she called me with such a story
if it didn't happen when police arrived neither Ray nor chassis could be found that set off some
red flags State detectives were called in after local police concluded there was
something not quite right with this remote Indiana property what started out as a missing person wellness check would
soon become something far worse as an all-out search got underway detectives say Danny cooperated fully
except for that one thing she said you can search anywhere you want except for that box
that box being this box one of those big toolboxes that you put in the back of a
truck large made of metal sitting several yards away from the entrance to Ray and Danny's trailer she said it was
Ray's Box and she couldn't give consent for anyone to look at it I had a padlock
on it but it wasn't completely closed on one end and there were flies then there was an odor of decay
[Music] hours Baxter and Tressler obtained a search warrant for the box when it was
opened Ray green was found dead inside it detectives returned to Danny telling her they were done with their search and
when you told her we found him how does she react she really had no reaction she was like
okay that's when detectives say Danny's story of what happened to Rey changed yet
again now saying she'd been forced to shoot Rey dead two days before in self-defense she began to explain that
there were instances of abuse that this had began in Florida wound up here she kind of quickly glossed over the actual
shooting of Rey and went right to why she had to do it the detectives recorded an interview
with Danny on the property she told them Ray had been physically abusive for years and tried to force sex on her
several times in the days leading up to the shooting he walked around naked so AP naked walk around it all the time
he's pulling me to him he's like let's go lay down he's trying to force himself on me I don't want this but I don't know
what to do she claimed Rey retaliated each time she refused him he'd come up behind me
and put his arm around my neck and he was squeezing me incredibly hard I couldn't breathe Danny told the
detective she slept on the living room couch alone that led to another confrontation he came in and he laid
right on top of me he had his forearm pressed against my neck pushing on me and I was like what
are you doing I'm kind of gasping for air and he's like I just wanted to hug you you don't hug people with your arm
in their throat like that Danny said it all led up to a fatal Clash early on Monday May 26th Memorial
Day three days later she went on tape with investigators offering a unique demonstration in a calm matter-of-fact
way I'm just going to uh play the role of Ray so you've offered to place your body in various positions
as she takes us through what happened yes I had come in the bathroom because it was around 6 a.m she just
used the bathroom off the master bedroom and was headed back to the couch so I'm
tipped away and I'm being really quiet and Ray gets up from the bed and he says I'm going to kill you you
need to die Danny says Ray kept a loaded 38 on the nightstand she says he started
to reach for the gun threw him on the bed like this he fell more on his right side actually
totally on his right side his legs were up and as I fell on him like this my hand I don't know if you can see my hand
was like this at that moment Danny shot Ray five times he took five bullets to the Torso and I
don't remember pulling the trigger I don't remember pointing I remember hearing gunshots but Danny says the
struggle continued he started sliding down the bed and his legs were here on this side of
the bed facing the wall sitting yes and then I got really scared because he said I'm gonna kill you but
he's Whispering that's what Danny says she ran to the back bedroom of the trailer and grabbed five more bullets
and I unloaded the gun and I said what do I do I'm scared to death I'm in fear for my
life she returned to Rey who she says somehow was still sitting upright at the foot of
the bed he started to kind of Crouch over and leaned towards me so I put my hand
out and he started to get up a little bit but I I don't remember pulling the trigger and hearing the gun but if I
remember him going down [Applause] Danny says Ray collapsed on the bedroom floor dead five bullets in the head
she reenacted every step of that morning in the location where it occurred to the
detectives Del Mar Weldon is Danny's attorney that is incredibly compelling evidence that
she was telling the truth the volcano that exploded on those early morning hours
that's what led to Raymond attacking Danielle and that's what forced Danielle to use lethal Force to protect herself
[Music] Danny's account go inside the investigation of Ray Greene's death at 48hours.com
[Music] as a cowboy action shooter Danny Green learned to quickly shoot five rounds
reload and shoot five more [Music] a skill she put to use on that remote Mountaintop in Indiana on May 26 2014.
detectives confirmed her father's death to Tracy telling her Rey's body had been
found in that toolbox my heart and pieces and I just prayed that he didn't suffer
eight days after the shooting after the medical examiner ruled Ray Greene's death a homicide Danny was arrested and
charged with his murder and autopsy found that all ten bullets the lower velocity kind used in cowboy
action shooter competitions were still in his body it was a shock it blew me away
because they're you know two good people in my mind word of Rey's death quickly spread in
the cowboy action shooter family including Dave War [Music] shooter I mean he was a personal friend
of mine it was pretty devastating what state of mind she was in that to letter to that led her to do
that who knows this man Del Mar Weldon believes he knows Weldon is Danny's defense attorney
Danielle was attacked she was in danger unfair for my life she had to act to save her own life unloaded then Reloaded
Wilden says it's clear from just looking at the tape I remember seeing blood Danny cooperated with
investigators it did not appear to be breathing recreating what happened that morning proving she had nothing to hide
her description of what happened really never changed it was very very very consistent compelling evidence that she
was telling the truth and what about Danny's changing stories of where Rey was saying the dog killed
him saying he's at work when he when clearly he's not having him in a box feet away from their home these actions
were so ridiculous they were not evidence of trying to hide the crime they are evidence of trauma
[Music] but investigators disagreed they combed through Danny's emails texts and Skype
conversations and concluded she may have had another man in her sights a well-heeled cowboy action shooter that
she and Rey knew quite well my name is George Mann and my Alias and cowboy action shooting is Angus McNasty
George Mann had known the greens for years but when Danny moved to Indiana in 2012 to help take care of her sick
parents she started a secret internet relationship with George who was married at the time
and one day out of the blue I I get an email ended up calling and we just kind of kind of clicked off
investigators learned that George and Danny communicated nearly every day sometimes multiple times a day it wasn't
x-rated explicit it was sexually suggestive curled up by a fire under a blanket with nothing on underneath the
blanket sipping on hot chocolate can you top that and you replied nothing can top that
wish I were there well you have to understand attractive women I I tend to to be a little bit
more flirtatious than I should be even though George had never traveled to Indiana to visit Danny the investigative
team wondered if the two had fallen in love online and whether that relationship played any role in Danny's
decision to shoot her husband do you think a part of you was in love with Danny no
I mean Danny is a nice person in love with Danny no I don't think so and I recall asking him specifically
about his feelings for her and he admitted in his own words that he loved her that he loved Danielle yes
[Music] George says Danny dreamed of leaving Rey and raising and selling horses in Ocala
Florida in early 2014 Danny and Ray divorced did you know that was coming I knew that was coming yes she saw that
as a way to get away from from Rey eventually she won a new life without Rey so the motive is she needed to get
rid of Ray because he was standing in the way of her dream she believed George Mann was the person who would help her
fulfill her dreams I say he made that up well I'm just going to say it's a complete lie when
investigators searched Danny's computer they believe they found evidence that she was using Google to research how she
would kill Rey what happens when you shoot a guy in the head with a 38 which was pretty damning considering she shot
a guy in the head with a 38. she's on a remote property you're a mile from the nearest person
no one's going to hear you scream so we were talking about about self-defense she was doing
research on things that we had discussed as Danny Green's trial for murder was about to begin her defense team finds a
witness who could be a game changer someone they believe will back up her claim that Rey had physically abused her
did you ever witness anything out of the ordinary when you delivered mail I mean other than her wearing a sling
occasionally limping at times black eyes yes we're speaking now with a woman we're
going to call Carol tell me about when you learned that Ray green had died and had been shot by Danny
he got what he deserved [Music] this woman whose face and name 48 Hours has agreed to conceal claims she is
certain Rey physically abused Danny in Florida how did you know Ray and Danny I delivered their mail
Carol and Danny became friendly over the years she was a gentle person that loved her
animals Carol says Danny never told her that Rey was abusing her but Carol saw the
injuries on Danny's face I saw three to four different times when she had the black eyes and did you see
bruises in other places you couldn't see bruises because she was so covered up Carol found it unusual that despite
Florida's high heat and humidity Danny covered every inch of her body she would try to tell me that she had
fallen or that one of the horses had done it what were you thinking that she was
being abused physically and the ray green Carol got to know was not the gentle Cowboy described by
others I asked him to sign something he told me no he said go see Danny and he called me a
so from that point on I avoided him George Mann Danny's online friend says she once told him that Rey had attacked
her they had an argument in Florida and he grabbed her and and threw her against
the wall I think she truly feared Ray but other friends who were close to the couple say they never witnessed any
signs of abuse I never seen any personality trait that would show me that Rey was an abusive
husband at all no black eyes or bruises or anything but what about Danny covering every inch
of her body with clothing Bob Stevens who is working on a book about the case says he knows why she was
very very worried about sun damage and cancer I know from a fact that she wear long
sleeve shirts to protect her from the Sun in August of 2015 Danny's murder trial
began at the Ohio County Indiana Courthouse No cameras were allowed in the courtroom
we have some of the key pieces of evidence you have the revolver it's a 38 which was the weapon that was used
prosecutor Aaron Negan guard says some of the bullets fired pass through this blanket before
striking Ray there were three bullet holes and this one actually went in there and out here
it showed that he was sleeping at the time and that's significant because she is claiming self-defense correct
but Danny's attorney Del Mar Weldon says the blanket tells a very different story
it wouldn't be uncommon for someone to get out of bed and have a blanket around them I I think I'd be highly unusual
he's about to attack her he was lunging toward her wrapped in a heavy blanket Danielle said exactly what happened I
remember him going down onto the floor onto the floor with his head in this area what Danny
didn't tell police was that she cut out a piece of carpet from the trailer floor
there's clear blood here and put it in the toolbox where Rey's body was found how is it self-defense if you're cutting
carpet out putting a body in the Box and trying to destroy or hide evidence and if Danny killed in self-defense why
didn't she call 9-1-1 after shooting Ray 10 times to second guess the things that happen
in a moment like that this life or death moment it is very unfair to say why wouldn't you do this she
believed that he could come back and get her even after he was obviously dead like some horror movie rise from the
dead and come after her she was living in a horror movie Carol the mail carrier gave a deposition
that was read to jurors but investigators said they found no evidence supporting Danny's claims of
abuse do you have any proof whatsoever beyond your belief that he actually laid a fist on her face no
Danny never took the stand but jurors watched her version of what happened on that deadly morning I'm in fear for my
life after two weeks of testimony the jury got the case and deliberations stretched
on for eight hours so they come in what's the verdict guilty Danny Green was convicted of murder and
sentenced to 60 years in prison I believe the jury got it wrong I believe that Danielle Green is innocent
and do you think Justice was served by him being killed yes by her being in prison no
the nicest man that would do anything for anyone suffered executions Kyle [Music]
she was a monster [Music] Jazzy the family dog whodanny once said attacked and killed Rey has never been
found Dave Wars world without his friend Ray is just not the same I think you go
through life with very few true friends there's a big void in that Circle that'll never be replaced
foreign how do you want your father to be remembered a wonderful loving caring man
a great grandfather he was a great husband to my mother [Music] Rey and his first wife Maggie both died
on May 26th exactly 12 years apart Bob Stevens thinks that's more than just a coincidence a message from God
I think it was a sign from God that they're back together [Music] an appeal by Danny has been denied
she will be eligible for parole when she's 71 years old our exclusive access to the presidential
platform we will witness yet another moment in history the CBS Evening News with Noah O'Donnell
from Washington D.C

Dani Green claimed the family dog killed her ex-husband, Ray, but when police arrived at the home there was no sign of man or dog. Dani told police they could search anywhere on the grounds — except for a large toolbox. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

#48hours #crime #mystery True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

The episode details the murder case of Ray Green, shot by his wife Danny, who claimed self-defense amid allegations of abuse.

Key points

The Cowboy Action Shooting Community. A glimpse into the competitive world of cowboy action shooting, where participants embody the spirit of the Old West.
A Troubled Marriage. Danny and Rey's relationship faced financial struggles and personal conflicts, leading to a tragic outcome.
The Shocking Discovery. Police find Rey's body in a toolbox, leading to a dramatic investigation.
Danny's Disturbing Claims. Danny claims self-defense in Rey's death, alleging years of abuse.
The Arrest. Eight days after the shooting, Danny is arrested and charged with murder.
The Shocking Death of Rey. Rey Green was shot by his wife, Danny, leading to a controversial trial.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You never know what's going on in a relationship.

Reflecting on the couple's hidden struggles.

2:01WatchApr 25, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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