73-year-old Charleston County man sentenced to 25 years for killing wife

Most likely, David Greene, Sr. will spend the rest of his life in prison.

He admitted shooting his wife of 48 years to death on October 23, 2015.

On Monday, February 13, the 73-year-old Hollywood, S.C., man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the charge of voluntary manslaughter plus 5 years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

"In effect, Judge (Markley) Dennis sentenced the Defendant to life, which is an important message for domestic violence killers," said 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson in a news release.

When police arrived to investigate a ‘shots fired’ call, they found David Greene smoking a cigarette and sitting on the front porch of his home with a his Winchester 12 gauge pump shotgun between his legs.

A short time earlier, Greene had shot his 68-year-old wife, Shirlee Greene, twice as she sat in her home watching TV and talking with her sister about upcoming Thanksgiving plans.

The Charleston Post and Courier reported at the time of the shooting that Greene told investigators he only planned to scare his wife after she told him she no longer wanted to be with him.

“He stated that while he possessed the shotgun his finger was on the trigger and he shot her,” a detective wrote in the affidavit.

Shirlee Greene’s body was found lying inside the home.

This story was originally published February 14, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "73-year-old Charleston County man sentenced to 25 years for killing wife."