Jackson police have arrested and charged Charles Pittman, 21, with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his fiance, Olivia Greenlee, 21.
As of Sunday morning, Judge Blake Anderson has ordered that Pittman be held without bond on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Greenlee and Pittman, both Union students, lived off-campus, although separately. The two were engaged and planned to be married in August 2014.
Jackson authorities were called to Union’s campus after campus security found Olivia Greenlee, senior music major, dead in her vehicle early Feb. 12.
Greenlee, 21, a commuter student from Dyersburg, was found at 7:50 a.m. in the Luther Hall parking lot adjacent to campus.
Investigators and an assistant county medical examiner were called to the scene. According to a Jackson Police Department release, the preliminary cause of death appears to be a gunshot wound.
A gun was found in the vehicle.
In the days following the incident, Pittman was developed as a person of interest in the investigation.
On Feb. 14, investigators met with Pittman and conducted a follow-up interview.
Based on their findings during the interview, he was taken into custody and booked at the Madison County Jail on an investigative hold.
On Feb. 15, Union President David Dockery released this statement to the media and students of the university: “Today we have learned that Jackson police have arrested Charles Pittman, a senior Christian ministries major, in connection with the death of Olivia Greenlee, a senior music education major.”
Dockery also reminded students that as a result of these current events, “understanding that an arrest is not the same thing as a conviction, we now need to let the judicial process run its course. Union University continues to cooperate with authorities.”
On the afternoon of Feb.15, investigators met with prosecutors and discussed the evidence in the case.
According to police, evidence shows that on Tuesday night, Pittman shot Greenlee as she sat in her car. Pittman then staged the crime scene to give the appearance that Greenlee had committed suicide, police said.
The gun found did not belong to Greenlee or Pittman. It was taken from a friend of Pittman’s without that person’s knowledge, police said.
Investigators prepared a warrant charging Pittman with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Pittman will be formally arraigned at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in Jackson City Court.
“We are sad to learn of the death of our student, Olivia Greenlee, a senior music major from Dyersburg,” Union President David S. Dockery said in a previous news release. “As we learn additional information, we will seek to share it with the Union community. Until then, please join us in praying for the family and friends of Olivia, and for the entire Union community in this hour of need.”
