Texas man sentenced to death for fatally beating mom of 2, placing her body in crawl space

FORT WORTH, Texas (TCN) -- A man was recently sentenced for fatally beating his estranged girlfriend, a mother of two, and keeping her remains under his home.

The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office announced Sept. 22 that a jury sentenced 28-year-old Valerian "Will" O'Steen to death for capital murder in connection with the death of 26-year-old Marissa Grimes.

According to prosecutors, O'Steen had a history of domestic violence against Grimes. In January 2022, he reportedly threatened to end her life and refused to let her leave his home for days. Authorities said Grimes later texted her father, and law enforcement responded. The defendant was arrested on domestic violence charges, and after he bonded out of jail, he had to stay away from Grimes and wear a GPS ankle monitor.

Prosecutors told the jury that O'Steen "was mad," and he "wanted the charges dropped and the monitor off his body." O'Steen allegedly told other people that he planned to kill Grimes.

According to the district attorney's office, Grimes' family convinced her to move to West Texas, but she and O'Steen began talking and seeing each other again. Grimes reportedly drove a U-Haul for her move and stopped by O'Steen's house on the night of Feb. 12, 2022, to say goodbye. Prosecutors said Grimes and O'Steen went to the home of a neighbor, who claimed O'Steen threatened Grimes with a gun.

Grimes' family members reported her missing soon after, and authorities found her abandoned U-Haul approximately a mile away from O'Steen's home. During a search of the defendant's residence, police reportedly discovered Grimes' decomposing body wrapped in blankets and a tarp in the crawl space.

Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Allenna Bangs said, "He dug her a shallow grave and lived above her for 10 days."

Grimes purportedly sustained a broken arm, nose, and ribs, and she had two black eyes, as well as multiple lacerations to her head. The medical examiner determined she died of blunt force trauma to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Peter Gieseking told the jury, "She was beaten to death," and "She had been tortured."

MORE: