Texas nursing student fatally stabbed after heated debate over roommate's cat, reports say

Yahoo

07-05-2025

A man is accused of fatally stabbing his roommate, a British nursing student and content creator, more than two dozen times at their Houston apartment, authorities say. The deadly altercation reportedly began as an argument over her roommate's cat.
Officers discovered Elizabeth Tamilore Odunsi — known as Tami Dollars on TikTok, where she had amassed over 48,000 followers — lying on the kitchen floor of her apartment with 28 stab wounds, according to Harris County records.
Before finding Odunsi, officers were called to check on the apartment around 3:50 p.m. on April 26, Houston police said. When officers knocked on the door and did not receive an answer, they noticed blood on the rear concrete patio, prompting them to enter the apartment, according to the department.
When officers entered the residence, they found Odunsi on the kitchen floor with multiple stab wounds. In a nearby bedroom, they also found the suspect, Chester Lamar Grant, 40, who had at least one stab wound, according to police. Paramedics pronounced Odunsi dead at the scene, while Grant was transported to a hospital in critical condition. He was later arrested on May 3 and charged with murder. His bond was set at $500,000.
Odunsi had been scheduled to graduate from Texas Woman's University College of Nursing the following Sunday, about a week after her death.
During Grant's bond hearing, a Harris County judge addressed the severity of the allegations and the reasoning behind the bond amount.
"The allegations in this case allege he stabbed his female roommate 28 times, killing her over some disagreement over his cat," the judge said, per KHOU and ABC 13 reported. "So, this is an allegedly extremely brutal murder with an extensive history of violence, which I find to be an extreme danger to the community."
According to county court records, Grant has multiple convictions in Washington state for domestic violence, with his most recent being on Sept. 6, 2023, according to USA TODAY.
USA TODAY contacted Grant's defense attorney on May 6 but did not receive a response. His next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Father threatens to sue police, landlords
John Odunsi, the student's father, has threatened legal action against local police and her landlord, citing negligence after discovering that her housemate was a convicted felon.
According to The Times, a prominent UK newspaper, Odunsi claimed that police had visited his daughter's apartment multiple times in the past. He also argued that the landlord's screening process should have revealed the criminal history of the roommate, Grant.
Residents of the building reported that officers had been on site during a dispute between the roommates just hours before Odunsi's body was found, the Times reported.
'If there are failings, we will take legal action … I feel failed by the police from what I've heard,' he told The Times.
'The landlord should've done the necessary checks on the tenant who was staying with my daughter. I don't know what sort of vetting was done on the roommate — that's what we're trying to ascertain — but unfortunately it won't bring back my lovely daughter," he added.
'A beautiful soul, full of light, ambition, and kindness'
A GoFundMe was started for Odunsi, who was known on TikTok as Tami Dollars or "TD," and it describes the nursing student as a "beloved sister, daughter, and friend."
"Tami was a beautiful soul, full of light, ambition, and kindness. She was just 23 years old," the fundraiser page reads. "A devoted Christian, she was a God-fearing young woman who found strength and joy in her faith. She had a deep love for her church community, where she was actively involved and always eager to serve others with humility and grace."
According to the GoFundMe page, Odunsi moved from the United Kingdom to the U.S. to "pursue her dream of becoming a nurse." Her death came days before she was set to graduate from university, the page says.
"An unimaginable loss at a moment that should have marked the beginning of a bright and promising future," the fundraiser says. "Tami touched so many lives in her short time here."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas nursing student killed by roommate after dispute over cat