On December 1, 1978, 20-year-old Dianna Green of Costa Mesa, California, was brutally attacked in her home while nine months pregnant. The assailant struck her on the head with a blunt object, raped her and left her for dead. Dianna survived but suffered severe brain damage and memory loss; her unborn child, Chantal Green, did not survive the attack.

Dianna’s husband, 21-year-old Marine Kevin Green, was arrested and charged in the case. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on Dianna’s testimony despite her documented memory impairments. In 1980 Kevin Green was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of the unborn child, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 15 years to life. He maintained his innocence while incarcerated.

In the mid-1990s DNA testing linked crime-scene evidence to Gerald Parker, a serial offender known as the Bedroom Basher. Parker confessed to the attack on Dianna Green, and Kevin Green was exonerated in 1996 after serving 16 years. Parker was later convicted of multiple murders and rapes, including this attack, and was sentenced to death in 1999. Does anyone have memories of Dianna, Chantal or the community response at the time that could add context?