Valerian O’Steen Murders Marissa Grimes
Valerian O’Steen is a convicted killer from Texas who was sentenced to death for the murder of Marissa Grimes
According to court documents Valerian O’Steen and Marissa Grimes had a tumultuous relationship with O’Steen being sent to jail for domestic violence against Marissa
After the last time he was released from jail Marissa Grimes would stop by Valerian O’Steen home and it was the last time she was seen alive
A search of Valerian O’Steen home would find the body of Marissa Grimes in a crawl space underneath the home. An autopsy of Marissa would reveal an assortment of injuries including black eyes, multiple lacerations to her head and bruises on her arms, hands, and fingers. The mother of two had been beaten to death
Valerian O’Steen would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Valerian O’Steen Case
A Tarrant County jury has sentenced 28-year-old Valerian “Will” O’Steen to death for the 2022 killing of 26-year-old Marissa Grimes, a mother of two from Arlington.
Grimes was reported missing by her family in February 2022. Days later, police discovered her body in the crawl space beneath O’Steen’s Fort Worth rental home in the 5800 block of Locke Avenue, near Interstate 30 and Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Prosecutors said O’Steen wrapped her in blankets and a tarp, dug a shallow grave and lived above her body for 10 days.
Assistant District Attorneys Allenna Bangs and Peter Gieseking presented the case, citing O’Steen’s history of domestic violence against Grimes. In January 2022, O’Steen threatened to kill her and held her in his home against her will until she was able to contact her father for help. He was arrested and ordered to stay away from Grimes while wearing a GPS ankle monitor.
Prosecutors said O’Steen was angry about the charges and told others he intended to kill Grimes.
Although her family encouraged her to move to West Texas, she continued communicating with him. On Feb. 12, 2022, she visited his home one last time while driving a U-Haul for her planned move. That night, a neighbor reported seeing O’Steen threaten Grimes with a gun.
Her U-Haul was later found abandoned about a mile from his house. When police executed a search warrant, they found Grimes’ body with multiple injuries, including broken bones, bruises and lacerations. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head.
“She was beaten to death,” Gieseking told jurors, adding that Grimes had been tortured.
Bangs urged the jury to deliver justice rather than mercy.
Valerian O’Steen News
Valerian “Will” O’Steen has been sentenced to death by a Tarrant County jury for the 2022 murder of Marissa Grimes, a 26-year-old mother of two.
Grimes’ body was found in the crawl space under O’Steen’s pier-and-beam rental home in Fort Worth after her family reported her missing.
“There was one person with the motive, opportunity, and the desire to kill Marissa Grimes,” said Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Allenna Bangs, who prosecuted the case along with Peter Gieseking.
Court documents reveal threats, last sightings of Grimes before disappearance
O’Steen, now 28 years old, was arrested on Jan. 9, 2022, for a domestic violence offense against Grimes.
According to court documents, O’Steen threatened to kill Grimes. He refused to let her leave his house for days, but she was eventually able to text her father, which led to police intervention.
O’Steen bonded out of jail on Jan. 13. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and an emergency protective order was issued forbidding him from contacting Grimes.
Prosecutors told the jury that O’Steen “was mad,” he wanted the charges dropped and the monitor removed.
“And he told people that he was going to kill Grimes,” court documents state.
Grimes’ family convinced her to move to West Texas, but she and O’Steen began “talking, texting and seeing each other” again.
On Feb. 12, 2022, driving a U-Haul packed for her move, court documents state, Grimes stopped by O’Steen’s home to say goodbye. The two visited one of O’Steen’s neighbors that night, who saw O’Steen threaten Grimes with a gun, according to court documents.
That was the last time Grimes was seen alive.
26-year-old mother of two found dead after reporting domestic violence
Grimes’ family reported her missing, and on Feb. 21, Fort Worth patrol officers found her abandoned U-Haul about a mile from O’Steen’s house.
Officers tried to locate Grimes to no avail. They obtained and executed a search warrant for O’Steen’s home on Locke Avenue on Feb. 22, where they found evidence that a dead person was possibly located in or around the residence. They continued searching and eventually found Grimes’ body underneath the home.
“He dug her a shallow grave and lived above her for 10 days,” Bangs said.
Grimes had suffered a broken arm, nose, and ribs, according to court documents. She had two black eyes, multiple lacerations to her head and bruises on her arms, hands, and fingers. Her hair was chopped short in some areas.
“She was beaten to death,” Gieseking told the jury. “She had been tortured.”
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Grimes’ death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head.
District Attorney Phil Sorrells praised the work of the Fort Worth Police Department. District Attorney Investigator Tim Pinckney and Victim Advocate Clara Salvatierra also worked on the case.
