Murder Or Domestic Abuse? This Woman’s Action Leaves People With Divided Opinions

A sweet love story turned sour has left people with divided opinions. It’s hard to believe a brutal daylight shooting had begun with a passionate romance.

Tracey Grissom, a single mum to son James, was 21 when she met Hunter Grissom in 2003. At the time, she was going through a divorce, but Hunter swept her off her feet and turned her life around. He was two years younger than Tracey, and when they eloped just a year later, many thought he was rushing into things, but the pair insisted they were smitten with each other.

They settled in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the couple started a construction business together. After a series of miscarriages, they had a baby girl, Anna Grace, who was born prematurely. It was a stressful time for the couple and the honeymoon period was well and truly over.

In the summer of 2010, seven years after they first met, registered nurse Tracey filed for divorce after she accused Hunter of taking drugs. While Tracey claims he started to be violent towards her, she never reported it to the police and there were no witnesses. Hunter’s colleagues said Tracey would turn up at his work accusing him of seeing someone new.

On November 22, 2010, Hunter went to visit Tracey, 32, at her house. She was dating and Hunter was angry about it.

The next day, Tracey went to hospital and claimed Hunter had raped her and thrown her against a bath, leaving her unconscious until the early hours. She took photos of her injuries, a head wound that needed a suture which was described by a doctor as ‘superficial’.

Hunter was arrested on charges of domestic violence. He told his lawyer he’d had consensual sex with Tracey after she’d called begging him to take her back. He also saw her taking too many anti-anxiety tablets, which can make you lose balance – possibly explaining the head injury.

Phone records showed Tracey had been on her phone when she claimed she was unconscious, texting her friend and new boyfriend.

With the case due in court, who would the jury believe? Tension between the couple had now reached new heights. Tracey took out a restraining order and bought a handgun, while Hunter stopped paying childcare, claiming he wasn’t working. Tracey had also told friends she was in need of money.

On the morning of May 15, 2012, Tracey was driving to a job interview when she stopped at the Binion Creek boat landing. She’d seen a sign for Grissom Construction which was Hunter’s company. Tracey says she was taking a photo to prove Hunter was still earning, but were her intentions more sinister?

When Tracey saw Hunter, she pulled out her gun and fired every one of the six bullets. Four hit Hunter, two in the back, and he fell to the ground, face down.

Then she called 911. “I shot him,” she wept. “I couldn’t take it no more. I just pulled up, I saw him… and I shot him.” When police arrived, Hunter’s colleagues said Hunter had seen Tracey and asked them to call police – and he’d been running away when his ex-wife shot him. Hunter was dead, aged just 28.

At the station, Tracey was questioned. “I don’t… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why I did it.”

When a detective asked her how many times she’d shot Hunter she replied, “Until it wouldn’t shoot no more.”

When Hunter’s family heard someone had shot him dead, they knew Tracey had done it before they were even told that it was her. Court dates for the rape accusation were coming up – if she’d lied about the attack, was she worried it was going to come out? Or was she a victim of domestic abuse who had been pushed too far by Hunter?

Tracey was charged with murder. In August last year, the trial began. The judge decided the rape charges could be brought up, but not the injury photos she’d taken.

Hunter wasn’t able to defend himself and it could swing the jury. Tracey pleaded not guilty, claiming Hunter had been walking towards her in an aggressive manner when she shot him.

The prosecution said Tracey wanted Hunter’s £66,000 insurance pay out. The day before she shot him, Tracey had called the life insurance company to check they had the right address. Coincidence?

She also called them a few weeks after the shooting, telling them Hunter was dead and she’d killed him in self-defence. Despite Tracey telling everyone she had no money, she’d kept up the payments on the insurance premium.

A pathologist testified that Hunter was not coming at her when he was shot, he was running away. But the defence said it was possible that Hunter had been moving towards Tracey when she started shooting, and had turned after the first shots were fired.

When Tracey took the stand, she told the jury about the alleged rape and said she lived in fear of her ex-husband. Before the jury went to deliberate, the judge offered Tracey the chance to consider a charge of manslaughter. But she refused. Ninety minutes later the jury had a verdict: guilty. Tracey broke down.

A month later, she was back in court and sentenced to 25 years in prison. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!” she cried as she was led away.

Today, Tracey still maintains her innocence from behind bars, but an appeal was refused. She will be eligible for parole in 2029.

The law decided that cold-blooded Tracey had gone in broad daylight to the place where Hunter was working and shot him in the back. Meanwhile, her friends stand by her and continue to campaign for domestic violence awareness.

Source: Mirror