Former Gatesville prison nurse convicted on lesser charge of murder, awaits sentencing

Saturday, December 06, 2008

By Erin Quinn

Tribune-Herald staff writer

GATESVILLE — Former Gatesville prison nurse Leslie Megan Lewis-Grant was found guilty of murder Friday in connection with her ex-husband’s stabbing death, avoiding conviction on a greater charge of capital murder that would have guaranteed life in prison without parole.

The 10-woman, two-man Coryell County jury will decide her punishment at 9 a.m. today in Judge Phillip Zeigler’s 52nd State District Court. Punishment ranges from five to 99 years in prison.

Leslie Megan Lewis-Grant leaves the Coryell County Courthouse Thursday afternoon. She will be sentenced today. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

Lewis-Grant, 44, also was convicted on the third-degree felony charge of tampering with physical evidence, which carries a punishment range of two to 10 years.

The two sentences will run concurrently.

Lewis-Grant had been indicted by a Coryell County grand jury on the charge of capital murder, alleging that she hired her 28-year-old boyfriend, John Tarrell Hopkins, to kill James Michael Grant Sr., who went by Michael.

Lewis-Grant was emotionless upon the reading of the verdict, which took the jury 4 1/2 hours to reach.

Michael Grant’s family members, as well as both lawyers, said they would not comment about the verdicts until after the punishment has been decided.

Lewis-Grant’s 16-year-old son, James Michael Grant Jr., who goes by Jamie, is serving a 45-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty in September to watching his father’s murder before stomping on his lifeless, bloodied chest and dumping his body along the road.

Jurors heard testimony from Hopkins, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after he pleaded guilty last month to stabbing Michael Grant to death while he slept Sept. 15, 2007.

Wearing his prison stripes, Hopkins told jurors that Lewis-Grant had promised him any property or money that she had, as well as Social Security checks she would receive from Michael Grant’s death, in exchange for the murder.

Hopkins testified that, in the days after the murder, his relationship with Lewis-Grant strengthened. He said she would tell him every day that she loved him and that killing Michael Grant was the nicest thing anyone could have done for her.

Hopkins testified that he killed the man because of the money and because of his love for Lewis-Grant and her two children. Hopkins said she told him that Michael Grant was verbally and physically abusive to her and the children.

Lewis-Grant’s attorney, Russ Hunt Sr., sought to discredit Hopkins’ testimony during closing arguments.

“Johnny is a liar. Johnny is a thief. He will kill somebody as soon as he looks at them,” Hunt told jurors. “The state’s entire case rests on Johnny Hopkins. You need to decide whether you can base your whole decision on Johnny Hopkins’ word. No other witness came in and testified that (Lewis-Grant) offered Johnny Hopkins money” to kill Michael Grant.

Coryell County District Attorney David Castillo said it would not make sense for Hopkins to lie on the stand.

“John Hopkins pleaded guilty to capital murder,” Castillo said. “He pleaded guilty to be locked up for the rest of his life without the possibility of parole. Why would he plead guilty if it wasn’t true?”

Jurors also heard testimony from co-workers and friends of Lewis-Grant, who alleged that the woman would regularly talk of wanting her ex-husband dead, wanting to hire someone to kill him or even trying to kill the diabetic herself by baking him a sugar-loaded cake.

They heard from investigators who testified to finding evidence that she burned bloody clothing used in the murder inside the barbecue pit at her Greenbriar Road home.

The same story of abuse that Hopkins told was also testified to by an inmate brought in from a federal prison in Florida, who told jurors that Lewis-Grant had offered him $5,000 to kill Michael Grant.

During her Thursday testimony, Lewis-Grant admitted to jurors that she often spoke of wanting her ex-husband dead but said she never offered anyone money to kill him. She said that she would be joking when she spoke of her hatred for Michael Grant, and was self-medicating her severe depression with alcohol at the time.

Lewis-Grant cried during her testimony when she told jurors what it was like to see yellow crime scene tape around her ex-husband’s house, and when she testified that she and Michael Grant were getting along at the time of his death.

equinn@wacotrib.com

757-5748

Comments

By lori henderson

Aug 22, 2009 2:43 AM | Link to this

the grant family were awesome people. mike loved his son, taking him camping, hunting and fishing. his son was his life. megan was a psychobitch that deserves worse. she destroyed her kids lives. god bless the grant family. i'm so sorry for your loss. he was a good friend.

By friend and neighbor

Aug 21, 2009 6:34 AM | Link to this

I dated Mike briefly before he met Megan. He was very sweet and never abusive. When he began dating Megan we were still close friends and even double dated a few times. She immediately asked me of the financial status of Mike and his family. When she got pregnant, he married her and they became my neighors.Needless to say, Megan was a nut! I recall her dressing Jamie in girls night dresses because she did not want to mess with snaps! Is it any wonder he became what he is today? Mike will always be missed.

By Shelbi

Dec 8, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this

Michael was not at all abusive. He was a very sweet man who loved his children and tried to create the best environment that he could for them, under the circumstances.

By Neighbor to Michael Grant

Dec 6, 2008 4:07 PM | Link to this

I never knew their life within the walls of their home. However, I did observe Megan being loud, drinking all the time, encouraging the children to do the wrong thing, etc. I did not care about her nor Jamie and do believe that they had evil minds.
We had actually thought about selling out and moving but, after the divorce things calmed down next door so much that we forgot about moving.
Like I said, I did not know the things that went on behind their doors but nothing he could have done would constitute murdering him.
I do believe that the mother planned the murder and had other people carry out her plan. She deserves at least 50 years in prison.

By Former Friend

Dec 6, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this

I was friends with Megan and Michael several years ago. I never saw him being physically abusive, but he was VERY emotionally cruel and abusive to both Megan and Jamie. Megan could give every bit as good as she got though. The odd thing was that they were just toxic together, but were really decent people when apart. If ever there were two people who just didn't need to be together it was them. I never understood why they stayed together.

By substitute teacher in Gatesville

Dec 6, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this

I actually worked with Megan Grant at the prison and she would often talk about her husband at the time being abusive and she was so thin because he wanted her to be perfect. Later,
I often substituted classes where the son was a student. From a young age, he would talk about how his father was abusive to his mom and he would watch him beat her. Later, I was able to know his little sister who would often tell stories of how their father, Mike Grant, would not feed them at home because he told them they were fat and didnt need to eat. I am not friends with Megan Grant, but I am also not the only one who observed these things. I think Gatesville forgets things when it is convenient!

By Fred

Dec 6, 2008 7:04 AM | Link to this

It's a full circle......prison nurse is now to be prison inmate.

By billy thompson

Dec 6, 2008 5:24 AM | Link to this

i went to school with Mike and that doesn't sound like him . about the abuse .i mean

By billy thompson

Dec 6, 2008 5:22 AM | Link to this

i went to school with Mike and that doesn't sound like him . about the abuse .i mean

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