Juror talks to WCNC

CONCORD, N.C. -- The foreman of a Cabarrus County jury that convicted a mother of intentionally setting her home on fire and leaving her children to die said Monday the vote on whether to sentence her to death by lethal injection was the most difficult decision he’s ever had to make.

Ryan Rose said he is a believer in the death penalty, but did not feel it applied in the trial of Lisa Greene.

Greene, 42, was convicted earlier this month of first-degree arson and two counts of first-degree murder for the January 10, 2006 fire that killed her son and daughter.

In one of his first interviews since the trial, Rose said the jury’s deliberations were challenging as the panel weighed 35 days of testimony and conflicting expert opinions on the fire.

The bigger challenge, Rose said, came when the jury had to decide if Greene should face life in prison without the possibility of parole or death by lethal injection.

He said he believes in the death penalty because “there are situations where someone needs to be removed from the face of the earth. It’s really up to God. The law says 12 people have to decide.”

The jury was deadlocked at first, but Rose declined to say how many jurors were pushing for a death sentence.

“When life or death is put in front of you, it’s on a piece of paper, and you’ve got to agree on it, it’s a sobering moment when you come to it,” he said.

“In this case, this woman made an awful decision, but just one. She came to a moment at a crossroads in her life where this decision was viable and then she committed that decision… she’s not the worst of the worst. She’s not one those people that killed masses of people.”

Rose said he would be “frustrated” if Greene’s conviction is overturned on appeal.

One juror is charged with criminal contempt of court for allegedly violating a judge’s order not to discuss the case while the trial was underway.

A second juror was also dismissed after allegedly violating the judge’s gag order.

Rose, whose assigned seat was between the two dismissed jurors, said he was unaware of the accusations during the trial and did not witness any juror misconduct.