Carmen Serrano walked up to the home on Butler Road in Scarsdale clutching a bouquet of flowers to her chest, tears streaming down her face. She stopped and bent down beneath the crime scene tape in front of the home and laid the flowers on the lawn.
It was a hot Friday at about 6 p.m., neighbors were out for evening strolls and dog walks. Each resident of the wealthy enclave gazed sorrowfully at the house as they passed.
Serrano left the bouquet alongside some other flower arrangements and a balloon, next to a few accumulated print editions of The New York Times, recording the passing days since Marian Green, the home’s owner, was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death on July 7.
Prosecutors have charged her 26-year-old son, Chester Green, with her murder. He was arraigned, bedside, at White Plains Hospital on July 8. He has since been transferred to the Westchester County Jail.
A legacy of giving
Serrano is intimately familiar with the Green family’s home. She worked there as their housecleaner for 7 years from 2013 to the summer of 2020.
When I asked her to describe her connection with Marian Green, Carmen Serrano described an employee/employer relationship that evolved into a genuine friendship. That friendship continued after her employment ended and lasted until Green’s death last week.
“She was a great person. She’s a lady [who is] so much fun and I’m very, very grateful for her,” Serrano said through halting, imperfect English.
She described how her former employer would make sure that Serrano’s modest income as a domestic worker never kept her from providing for her son.
“She gave me his clothes for school, school stuff every year, summer stuff,” Serrano said.
The former housecleaner said that holidays were wonderful because of Green’s generosity.
“Especially presents for Christmas. She gave me money for him,” Serrano said. “For his birthday, when I celebrated his birthday, she gave me many, many [things] for his birthday, presents, decorations, cookies, Easter also.”
I asked her when she last heard from Marian Green. She showed me a text on her phone from May 10 — Green’s last Mother’s Day.
It showed a picture of Wonderwoman, captioned, “If you are a mom, you are a superhero.”
It held a personal message that said, “Happy Mother’s Day! Hope it was fun!” with a heart, kiss and hands in the shape of a heart emojis.
Serrano said that she didn’t interact a lot with Chester Green other than asking him about his activities or vacation plans. That tracks with what former friends have said about Chester Green’s social awkwardness.
A woman who also came to the home in apparent grief but did not want to be identified interjected while I was asking Serrano about her dealings with Chester Green, saying, “He was a very quiet kid, he did not speak to a lot of people. He was very self-kept.”
I asked her how she knew the accused killer and she said, “I grew up with him, I used to go to birthday parties here.”
Since her murder, many of Marian Green’s neighbors and friends have spoken about her generosity and commitment to people with disabilities.
A son was given everything, but it was not enough
Marian Green, by many accounts, was dedicated to the well-being of her son more than she was to anyone. She appears to have given him every opportunity to succeed in life regardless of the challenges he faced personally.
The mother provided her son with education at a therapeutic academy and training in blacksmithing, we’ve learned.
Chester Green lived with his mother in her multimillion-dollar home in an affluent community.
Chester Green was due to receive a trust fund that would provide for him long after Marian was gone, as my colleague, Jonathan Bandler reported.
Still, somehow, Chester Green faces homicide charges in his own mother’s death.
Matt Richter, a veteran Hudson Valley journalist, is local news and regional opinion manager for lohud.com and The Journal News.
Email: mrichter@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Slain Scarsdale mom Marian Green gave everything | Opinion Exclusive
Reporting by Matt Richter, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matt Richter, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
