Shemese Grant | Homicide Watch DC

Comment of the Day: "The Justice System Let Me Down."

Laura Amico — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:57:06 -0400

This Comment of the Day comes from Mrs.GinaKey-Grant, who wrote in about Shemese Grant.

Hi,Every 1,
I Am Ms.SHEMESE ANN GRANT'S Mother Mrs.GinaKey-GrantSr.
I WAS MARRIED, I HAD THE PERFECT PAIR,MY SON EXACTLY 1yr OLDER THAN HIS SISTER,THEY WERE LIKE TWINS,RAMONA GRAY IS RIGHT WHERE SHE BELONGS,I AM HAVING A AWFULL TIME WITH LIFE,I CAN'T GET AROUND,PASS,THRU,OVER,THIS PREMEDITATED,HORRIFIC, TRAGETIE,THE JUSTICE SYSTEM LET ME DOWN,THE GIULT OF NOTBEING THERE IS AWFUL,SHE WAS BORN 1 BLOCK ON 18th&T.,ST.,S.E.I HAVE HAD T0 LEAVE WHERE I WAS BORN SO I COULD REFLECT,COLLECT MYSELF,REACH DEEP DOWN IN MY SOUL,I AM 53yrs OLD AN FORTUNATLY HAVE NOT BEEN INCARCERATED NEITHER HAS HER FATHER,AN THE ULTIMATE BOTTOM LINE IS OUR MAKERS JUDGEMENT,IN THE MEAN TIME WE ARE JUDGED BY OUR WORKS HERE,BUT TO PREMEDITATE MURDER IS HANNIOUS,IT IS NOT ENOUGH WE HAVE TO WORK EVERYTHING OUT,HORRIFIC SITUATIONS SHOULD BE CONTAINED,I MYSELF AM HAVING A AWFUL TIME,SHE STOLE MY BABYGIRL TINKERBELL,FOR HER BABIES FATHER,FOR NO ONE,I MEAN NO 0NE,MY HURT&PAIN WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO MURDER OR DESTROY ANYTHING MY FREEDOM IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME,I'LL BE TALKING TO EVERY 1 SOON,TO NOW ADD MY STORY T0 THE WRITING ON THE WALL,THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SHARE,
HER 3 ANNIVERSARY IS 8/31/13

Comment of the Day: "my mother was sweet kind"

Laura Amico — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:49:52 -0400

This Comment of the Day comes from Joshae, who wrote about Ramona Gray. Gray was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder while armed in the death of Shemese Grant.

Ramona gray is my mother Ramona gray is my pop pop I'm so sorry for my mothers behavior yes she was wrong but don't call anyone what u think they r because u r no better and yes I'm only 12 my mother had foolish friends that made her do any thing if they told her to rob a bank she will do it wanna know why because they brain washed my mother with Satan the evil man my mother was sweet kind will to anything for u i remember that my dropped off a lady that had twins carring them in the rain she pulled over and tuck her home. My mother is a very nice person ms.grant was nice at some times.i believe that ms.grant will be dead unless she was with Steven Antonio McDonald , Santans child.or my loving mother Ramona gray would be suffering in jail for 25 years.

More from Ramona Gray's Sentencing

Laura Amico — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:49:20 -0400

The Washington Post this morning has a story about Ramona Gray's sentencing yesterday for the stabbing death of Shemese Grant.

“You have stolen my baby girl. My Tinkerbell,” Grant’s mother said, standing only a few feet from Gray, who was shackled and wearing a gray prison jumpsuit and white cross around her neck. “I can’t judge you. I can only pray for you.”

Gray tearfully interjected: “I’m sorry, Ms. Grant. I know sorry is not good enough.”

Later, Keith Alexander spoke with the families.

Outside the courtroom after the hearing, the families of both women hugged each other as Gray’s mother apologized to Grant’s family.

“What’s so frightening is the cycle of urban decay continues,” said Lisa Whiteside, Grant’s aunt. “We now have five young children who are going to grow up without their mothers.”

25 Year Prison Term for Ramona Gray

Laura Amico — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:13:32 -0400

Ramona Gray, a 31-year-old DC woman who pleaded guilty to stabbing to death a woman she believed was in a romantic relationship with the father of her children, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for the crime.

When entering her guilty plea in January, Gray said that the government's account, that she spotted Grant's car in the Good Hope Road SE parking lot, waited inside a local shop for Grant to appear, then, when Grant's back was turned, attacked her, stabbed her multiple times, then fled the scene in a friend's car, is true and accurate.

"I just want to say I'm sorry to the Grant family," Gray said in January. "I'm sorry for taking away a loved one."

Judge Gerald Fisher's sentence falls at the high end of the 22 to 26 years incarceration outlined in Gray's plea agreement.

A press release from the USAO is after the jump.

Maryland Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison For Fatal Stabbing of Woman in Parking Lot-Defendant Ambushed Unarmed Victim in August 2010 Attack -

WASHINGTON – Ramona Gray, 31, was sentenced today to a prison term of 25 years for second degree murder while armed in the fatal stabbing in August 2010 of a woman in a Southeast Washington parking lot, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Gray, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty in January 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced today by the Honorable Gerald I. Fisher. Upon completion of her prison term, Gray will be placed on five years of supervised release.

According to the government’s factual proffer, on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, at approximately 5:25 p.m., Gray stabbed Shemese Grant, 31, of Washington, D.C., repeatedly with a knife in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Good Hope Road SE. The victim was pronounced dead within an hour. The autopsy revealed a total of 18 multiple sharp force injuries: eight stab wounds to the neck and torso, and ten incised wounds to the head, torso, and extremities.

The government’s evidence showed that Gray attacked and stabbed Ms. Grant to death because she was upset that Ms. Grant was with a man with whom Gray once shared a romantic relationship. The killing came barely a year after Gray was placed on probation for an earlier crime -- also involving a jealous impulse and Gray’s past relationship with the same man.

In the earlier case, Gray pled guilty to arson for setting fire in October 2007 to the home of a family member of the same former lover. Ms. Grant was not involved in that case. That fire made several families homeless and caused extensive damage. Gray was sentenced to a term of 18 months. The prison time was suspended and Gray was placed on 18 months of probation.

According to a factual proffer submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Gray had remained in contact with the former lover in the years after the fire. The trouble last August 31 began after Gray’s phone was accidentally connected to her former lover’s cellular telephone. Gray overheard a conversation he was having with Ms. Grant while they were riding together in a rental car. Over the phone, Gray confronted her former lover, and the call ended.

After this conversation, throughout the day, Gray called her former lover’s cellular telephone and sent him phone text messages. Later in the day, she armed herself with a long knife and rode around in a car to find Ms. Grant. Not long before the fatal attack, Gray pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store in the 1700 block of Good Hope Road SE. There, she saw a car that she recognized as belonging to Ms. Grant. Gray then entered the convenience store and stood near the entrance, peering outward into the parking lot.

From inside the store, Gray saw the rental car pull up in the parking lot. Ms. Grant got out of the car, and when she turned her back to the store, Gray ran outside. She stabbed Ms. Grant repeatedly and then she fled the scene.

In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the outstanding work of Metropolitan Police Department Violent Crime Branch Detectives Dwayne Corbett, Wayne Marable, and Darin March and Forensic Science Division Technician John Holder. He also commended the work of paralegal Marian Russell, Victim Witness Specialist Marcey Rinker, and Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Gripkey, who investigated and prosecuted the case

"I think about what I did every day."

Laura Amico — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:38:04 -0500

Thirty-year-old Ramona Gray pleaded guilty today in D.C. Superior Court to killing a woman whom she believed was in a relationship with the father of her children.

"I think about what I did every day," Gray said after entering her plea. "I think about her and her son."

Shemese Grant, 31, was killed Aug. 31 in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Good Hope Road in Southeast D.C. An autopsy on Grant revealed 18 stab wounds to her neck, torso and extremities, according to the government's proffer of evidence Friday. Witnesses described the murder weapon as a long knife, with a blade of at least 7 inches.

Gray said Friday that the government's account, that she spotted Grant's car in the Good Hope Road SE parking lot, waited inside a local shop for Grant to appear, then, when Grant's back was turned, attacked her, stabbed her multiple times, then fled the scene in a friend's car, is true and accurate.

"I just want to say I'm sorry to the Grant family," Gray said. "I'm sorry for taking away a loved one."

Gray was arrested Sept. 1, 2010 on a first-degree murder charge in the case. By pleading guilty to second-degree murder while armed, her prison time is reduced to an estimated 22 to 26 years. She is due in court again April 8 for sentencing.

Charging documents in the case are here. Remaining documents in the case, including the government's proffer, will be posted when they become available.

The Week Ahead

Laura Amico — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:18:48 -0500

Following are scheduled court appearances for murder cases. This information is current as of Friday, 2 p.m. and will be re-verified throughout the week. Please remember that court dates can change, even at the last minute. To view the docket of a case please go to the D.C. Courts website and search by the defendant's name.

Monday, Dec. 6, 2010

9:30 a.m. Kwan Kearney in courtroom 215 (Judge Herbert Dixon) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Jamal Wilson, was shot Sunday Nov. 14, 2010 on P Street NW D.C. Kearney is represented by attorney Gene Johnson. The case number is CF1 021604. Charging documents are online here.

9:25 a.m. Jeremy Risper in courtroom 215 (Judge Herbert Dixon) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Jamal Wilson, was shot Sunday Nov. 14, 2010 on P Street NW D.C. Risper is represented by attorney Dana Page. The case number is CF1 021764. Charging documents are online here.

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010

9:30 a.m. Joseph Spinks in courtroom 310 (Judge Lynn Leibovitz) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Delonte Butler, was killed Saturday, Sept. 25. 2010 in southeast D.C. Spinks is represented by attorney Eugene Ohm. The case number is CF1 018278.

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010

9:30 a.m. Ramona Gray in courtroom 320 (Judge Gerald Fisher) for a felony status conference in a first degree murder case. The victim, Shemese Grant, was stabbed to death Aug 31 in a deli parking lot in southeast D.C. Gray is represented by attorney Premal Dharia. The case number is CF1 016312. Charging documents are online here.

Friday, Dec. 10, 2010

9:30 a.m. Kwan Kearney in courtroom 215 (Judge Herbert Dixon) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Joseph Alonzo Sharps Jr., was shot Monday Nov. 8 in northeast D.C.'s Trinidad neighborhood. Kearney is represented by attorney John Briley. The case number is CF1 022068. Charging documents are online here.

9:30 a.m. Larnell Allen in courtroom 215 (Judge Herbert Dixon) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Joseph Alonzo Sharps Jr., was shot Monday Nov. 8 in northeast D.C.'s Trinidad neighborhood. Allen is represented by attorney Lauren Bernstein. The case number is CF1 022108. Charging documents are online here.

9:30 a.m. Marvin Palencia in courtroom 302 (Judge Michael Rankin) for a preliminary hearing in a first degree murder case. The victim, Jacobo Vazquez, is believed to have been shot to death Nov. 11 at his workplace on Constitution Avenue in D.C. Palencia is represented by attorney Lauren Bernstein. The case number is CF1 021874. Charging documents are online here.

Ramona Gray, suspect in stabbing death of Shemese Grant, expected in court Friday

Laura Amico — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:44:29 -0400

Ramona M. Gray, charged with the stabbing death of Shemese Grant, is expected in court tomorrow, Sept. 17, at 9:30 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.

Gray, a 30-year-old woman from District Heights, MD., was arrested Sept. 1 by the Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force on suspicion of stabbing to death 31-year-old Shemese Grant, also known as "Tink," of Southeast D.C. the day before.

Grant's body was found when "officers of the Sixth District responded to the 1700 block of Good Hope Road, SE for the report of a stabbing," said Metro Police. "Upon arriving, they located a victim suffering from stab wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to an area hospital where she was subsequently pronounced dead."

Grant was buried Sept. 10 at the Fort Lincoln Cemetary.

"She had a good sense of humor and a lovely smile. A smile that would light up the room. tink we love u and u will always be remember but never forgotten," a friend wrote on Grant's online obituary.

Gray is being held without bail and is represented by defense attorney Premal Dharia, according to D.C. Superior Court. Gray is charged with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.

Photos of a memorial for Grant at the crime scene.

Washington Post coverage.