Man Sentenced to Death for Murdering Woman, Hiding Her Body in Crawl Space

A Texas man was sentenced to death on Monday, Sept. 22, for the murder of a 26-year-old mother of two, prosecutors said.

A jury recommended death for Valerian “Will” O’Steen, 28, in connection with the 2022 killing of Marissa Grimes.

According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office, Grimes went missing in February 2022. Her body was later discovered in the crawl space of O’Steen’s rental home in Fort Worth.

“There was one person with the motive, opportunity, and the desire to kill Marissa Grimes,” prosecutor Allenna Bangs said in a Sept. 22 press release.

Prosecutors said O’Steen had a history of abusing Grimes. Prior to her death, O’Steen “threatened to kill her” and refused to let her leave his home, prosecutors said. She was able to text her mother, which led to police intervention.

O’Steen was arrested and charged with domestic violence, placed on a GPS ankle monitor and ordered to stay away from her.

Prosecutors said he was angry and wanted the GPS monitor removed. “And he told people that he was going to kill Grimes,” states the release.

Grimes family urged her to move to West Texas, but prosecutors said “Grimes and O’Steen again were talking, texting and seeing each other.”

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On the night of her move on Feb. 12, 2022, prosecutors said she stopped by to see O’Steen to say goodbye. “That goodbye turned into an evening where Grimes and O’Steen visited one of O’Steen’s neighbors, who saw O’Steen threaten Grimes with a gun. That was the last time Grimes was seen alive,” states the release.

Grimes’ U-Haul was found abandoned on Feb. 21 about one mile from O’Steen’s home.

The following day, Authorities found Grimes’ decomposing body wrapped in a blanked and tarp in the crawl space. “He dug her a shallow grave and lived above her for 10 days,” said Bangs.

Prosecutors said Grimes was beaten to death and tortured, suffering from multiple lacerations to her head, two black eyes, and a broken arm, ribs and nose.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.