Gary Gene Grant (born June 29, 1951) is an American serial killer who raped and murdered four young people in Renton, Washington, between 1969 and 1971.
[1][2] On the evening of December 15, 1969, Grant attacked 19-year-old Carol Adele Erickson, who was heading home from the Renton Municipal Library along a dirt road running parallel to the Cedar River.
On April 28, 1971, search teams found a hunting knife with dried blood stains, about 50 meters from the crime scene.
Because Renton Police Captain, William G. Frazee, had illegally installed recording devices in the interrogation room, Grant's lawyers filed a motion to drop all charges against their client in June 1971, claiming that his constitutional rights had been violated.
On June 30, the appeal was rejected due to the fact that Gary's confession had been previously recorded legally on the day of his arrest.
During subsequent hearings, a number of acquaintances acted as witnesses for the prosecution, telling the jury that they had seen Gary on the days of the murders near the crime scenes, and that he had dirty clothes.
[8] His close friends and father acted as witnesses for the defense, stating that since childhood Grant was a passive, harmless individual.
Based on the results from said exam, he was found to be sane, although the psychiatrist noted that Gary was impulsive, had problems controlling himself and often acted out emotionally in high-stress situations.
After a two-day meeting on August 25, the jury verdict was announced: Gary Grant was found guilty on all counts, and was sentenced to four life imprisonment terms without the chance of parole.
In 2020, he received a second wave of infamy after author Cloyd Steiger published his book "Seattle's Forgotten Serial Killer: Gary Gene Grant", which revealed new details about the case.