ORANGE PARK, Fla. — The arrests of Jennifer Greene and a 15 year-old we're not naming -- is spreading nationwide. The pair was booked Friday in connection to the animal abuse seen in a viral video.
"A lot of professionals say that's how it starts, right? That's kind of creepy,” neighbor Amber Teska said.
Jeff Econom says the torture and killing of a gopher tortoise is not in Greene's character. He knows her well. He was her counselor at Camp Tracey, a home for at-risk youth.
"Jennifer would keep and take care of all of our animals, so when this happened -- first thing in my mind was: she was put up to it,” he said.
Econom says even though Greene is 18, she has the mentality of a 12-year-old. She grew up in a Romanian orphanage, where there was little education and socialization. She was adopted by an Orange Park family around the age of 5.
"She would tell me a lot of stuff at camp. Some of the things she went through at the orphanage,” Econom continued.
Econom tells us Greene would do anything to make friends, so she was easily peer pressured. And, he believes the online death threats that followed the arrest -- are too harsh.
"What she did was absolutely horrible and she has to be held accountable. But, on the flip side -- I want the people of Jacksonville, Orange Park, surrounding areas involved in this story to understand we're dealing with someone here who is very behind in intellect."
If Greene is convicted, she faces up to five years in prison on a felony animal cruelty charge. A misdemeanor charge of killing a gopher tortoise carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a possible fine of $500.