Mich. Man Convicted Of Killing Wife
(AP) — A man who tearfully stood before TV cameras and repeatedly denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance was convicted Friday of killing her. Stephen Grant, 37, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Tara Grant, 34, at the home they shared in the Detroit suburb of Washington Township.
Grant displayed no outward emotion. He faces life in prison but could be eligible for parole. Prosecutors sought a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole.
Prosecutor Eric Smith said he will ask the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines and send Grant to prison for the rest of his life. Sentencing is set for Feb. 21.
Grant’s attorney Gail Pamukov said the “right result was achieved” and added that “there’s no winners here today.”
After the verdict, Tara Grant’s sister, Alicia Standerfer, said, “We thank God the nightmare is now complete with that conviction of Tara’s murderer.”
She characterized her sister as a wonderful mother and a loving wife who did everything in her power to provide for her family, including the couple’s two young children, who are currently in the custody of Standerfer and her husband.
Kelly Utykanski, Stephen Grant’s sister, said her family is satisfied with the verdict.
“We felt manslaughter would have been a slap on the wrist,” she said, adding that she never discussed the case with him.
Just before Grant’s trial began Dec. 7, he pleaded guilty to mutilating Tara Grant’s corpse. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the sentences for murder and mutilation would run consecutively or concurrently. Phone messages left after-hours Friday for Smith and defense attorney Stephen Rabaut were not immediately returned.
Stephen Grant insisted he had nothing to do with his wife’s disappearance after he reported her missing Feb. 14. He fled March 2 as police searched the couple’s home but was captured two days later in a remote, snowbound state park in the far northern Lower Peninsula.
Police said he made a graphic confession while being treated for hypothermia at a hospital. Her body parts were found in their garage and a nearby park.
