Matt Gerald Green, an Arbutus man accused of killing two Carroll County men and then burying their bodies in his basement, was denied bail yesterday despite his attorney's suggestion that he may have acted in self-defense.
In Baltimore County District Court, Thomas P. Bernier, a lawyer hired to represent Mr. Green at the bail hearing, told Judge John H. Garmer that his client is a high school graduate with no criminal record and strong ties to the community.
"There's no past history here to indicate this man is dangerous," Mr. Bernier said. "This man was doing nothing more than protecting himself from two drug collectors."
According to police reports and charging documents, the victims, Esteban "Steve" Santana Jr., 31, and Kurt J. Benkert, 26, both of the 1100 block of Deer Park Road near Westminster, had gone to Mr. Green's house Thursday morning to collect money the suspect owed to Mr. Santana for marijuana.
A possible snag in the self-defense theory is that the victim's wife, Katherine Santana, told state police that someone named "Matt" had called her husband to invite him to come collect the money, according to charging documents.
In arguing for a "reasonable bail" for Mr. Green, Mr. Bernier noted that the killings occurred in his client's home, with a "legally registered weapon" and that no harm came to Mr. Santana's 9-month-old daughter, who was found abandoned Thursday afternoon in her father's truck in Patapsco Valley State Park.
Baltimore County prosecutor S. Ann Brobst vigorously opposed the bail.
"It's a horrible crime," Ms. Brobst said. "The state's case is very strong."
"I'm going to continue to deny bail," Judge Garmer said, without further comment.
Meanwhile, court records provided more details of the crime.
District Court charging documents said that after the killings, Mr. Green painted his basement floor red -- an apparent effort to hide blood stains. The same court records said Mr. Green had shown one of the bodies to his cousin the day of the slayings.
State police spokesman Michael J. McKelvin said yesterday that the cousin told investigators that Mr. Green asked him to come to his house Thursday under the pretense of helping him move drywall.
But once his cousin had arrived, Mr. McKelvin said, Mr. Green tried to persuade the man to help him dispose of a body. When he caught a glimpse of part of the body, the cousin left the house.
The cousin has not been charged, Mr. McKelvin said.
Both victims were shot to death -- Mr. Benkert in the head and Mr. Santana in the chest.
Mr. McKelvin said yesterday that state police have recovered what they believe is the weapon, a .38-caliber revolver that is now being tested. He would not say where the gun was found.
In court yesterday, a pretrial release official said Mr. Green had worked for the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks for the past two years.
He was off work on medical leave last week when the county fired him.
Mr. Green told the pretrial official that he plans to hire an attorney to try to get his job back.