Trial underway for man charged in Pender Co. triple murder

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Trial began Tuesday in Pender County for the proceedings of Michael Miller Jr.

Miller Jr. faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count of murder of an unborn child.

He’s charged with the deaths of 22-year-old Destiny Denise Greene - who was seven months pregnant at the time - and her 26-year-old boyfriend William Lenwood Coley III. They were found shot to death at their home in Maple Hill on Nov 8, 2020.

On Tuesday, attorneys made opening arguments, laying the groundwork for the case and introducing key witnesses to the jury.

The jury heard testimony from more than eight witnesses, who ranged from Pender County Sheriff’s deputies to neighbors of the victims.

The jury was shown photo evidence from the crime scene and listened to a 9-1-1 call from when Greene was found unresponsive the day of the shooting, which originally came in as a call about cardiac arrest. The jury was shown body camera footage from one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene.

Deputies described that one of the first things they noticed when entering the crime scene was that the casing to the door to the house was broken.

Witnesses described the gruesome nature of the crime scene, where Greene was found shot in the head in the bedroom and Coley was later found outside in the yard.

The trial is expected to continue through the week.

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