Woman sentenced to 25 years for murder of ex-husband ‘who raped her’ – despite juror’s plea for leniency
A Woman who shot dead her ex-husband after he allegedly subjected her to a brutal rape and physical abuse has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Tracey Grissom, 32, sobbed as she was taken from the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse in Alabama in handcuffs after being sentenced on Tuesday.
Grissom murdered her ex Hunter Grissom, 28, on May 15, 2024 and was found guilty by a jury last month. The couple have a five-year-old daughter, according to court records.
At her sentencing on Tuesday, one female jury member, Janice Kelley, asked the judge to be lenient, according to al.com.
Ms Kelley said she believed Grissom did not get a fair trial as details of her alleged rape and sodomy were not given to jurors.
When court restrictions were lifted on Tuesday at the sentencing, tuscaloosanews.com reported that Grissom told the court she had suffered permanent rectal and vaginal damage after allegedly being raped by her husband.
She pulled up her shirt in court to show that she was wearing a colostomy bag and said that she had undergone several surgeries.
She told the court on Tuesday that her husband told her during the 2024 attack that ‘he would make it to where no**** would ever want me’.
She did not report the rape because he had threatened her life, the news site reported.
Following the sentencing on Tuesday, the victim’s family shared their thoughts on Facebook page, Justice for Hunter Grissom.
Along with tributes to the deceased 28-year-old, several friends and family members claimed that Tracey Grissom was not raped and that a ‘broken justice system’ had failed Hunter and cost him his life.
Tracey Grissom’s defense lawyer had claimed during trial that she acted in self-defense while suffering from post-traumatic stress caused by her husband’s sexual assaults,al.com reported.
Prosecutors said the killing had been motivated by the Woman wanting to cash in Hunter Grissom’s $100,000 life insurance policy.
She shot him in the back six times after ambushing him at work, the prosecution said.
According to a 2024 arrest warrant, Grissom was driving to work when she saw her ex-husband at a boat landing.
She claimed she had gone there to take a photo of him for litigation related to their divorce to prove he was working after he stopped support payments.
Several witnesses watched as the man made an obscene gesture and the Woman opened fire, a sherifff said at the time. Grissom called 911 after using all her ammunition and told them she shot her ex-husband.
Hunter Grissom was previously charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, unlawful imprisonment and other drug-related charges.
At the time of his death, the local district attorney was pursuing charges but Mr Grissom was never found guilty, according to WIAT.com.
Tracey Grissom was the alleged victim in the rape and sodomy charges, according to Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Tommy Smith in 2024.
According to WSFA.com, Tracey Grissom told police she was raped and sodomized by Hunter Grissom in November 2024.
She reported that he bound her legs with his belt, dragged her from their closet into their master bedroom and sexually assaulted her.
Tracey told police she was then knocked unconscious on the floor of their bathroom and didn’t wake up until the next morning.
She went to the hospital for treatment following the alleged attack, and paperwork shows she had a gash on her head, bruises, bind marks on her feet and writing on her arm.
Grissom’s attorney said outside court on Tuesday that he would be seeking a new trial for his client. The 32-year-old will be eligible for parole.
Read more: Woman sentenced to 25 years for murder of her ‘rapist’ ex-husband | Mail Online