Guilt Catches Up To Man Who Admits 1975 Slaying

Nearly 20 years after a man was killed near a south Seattle bus stop, someone has confessed to the slaying.

Michael Charles Green, 39, of Tukwila, told police he came forward because the guilt had become too much to bear.

“He stated several times over and over again how important it was he made his peace with God, to get it off his chest and not have a guilty conscience,” Seattle Detective Steve O’Leary said Friday.

Green called police Thursday morning. He first talked to a 911 dispatcher, then met with Tukwila Officer John Kallas. Kallas telephoned Seattle homicide detectives.

Green was brought to Seattle, where he was interviewed by O’Leary. He was then booked into King County Jail for investigation of homicide.

“He gave me details of the case only the killer could have known,” O’Leary said.

Green said he killed a man at a bus stop near an alcohol treatment center in the summer of 1975.

King County deputy prosecutor Roger Davidheiser identified the victim as James Milend Smith and said he was about 45 years old at the time.

Smith died from a severe head injury, but Davidheiser refused to reveal any of the circumstances of the Sept. 5, 1975, slaying or a motive.

Green He is the father of a 15-year-old boy who was recently charged with murder in the March 23, 1994, shooting death of Donnell Duncan, 18, outside an all-city dance at Rainier Beach High School.