Latest news with #RehabilitationandReentry
Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Barbaric dad set sleeping daughter, two, on fire in desert in 'heinous' act
Murderer Shawn Grell, 50, killed his two-year-old daughter in the most "heinous, cruel and depraved way" after setting her alight in the desert, according to the Arizona Supreme Court A barbaric and "cruel" dad who set fire to his two-year-old daughter while she was sleeping in the desert has died in jail. Murderer Shawn Grell, 50, was discovered by prison officers in the Arizona Prison Complex on April 19. No details were disclosed about his death. 'All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office,' the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry said in a statement. The killer had spent 26 years in jail after he picked up his daughter, Kristen Salem, from childcare on December 2, 1999, and took her to McDonald's. After they left, he told her they would see Christmas lights, but he drove to Target to purchase a petrol can and some diesel. Grell drove to a desert in Arizona, laid Kristen on the ground, poured diesel on her and set her on fire, according to harrowing court documents. She briefly woke up and stumbled before falling to the ground. After the "heinous, cruel and depraved" killing of his daughter, he drove to a nearby store and purchased some beer. Grell drove for hours before eventually calling police and turning himself in. He confessed to killing her the next day, with no trace of emotion. 'I took the gasoline and I poured it on her,' he told investigators during a police interview. 'I took the match and threw it on her." The court ruled the horrendous killing was committed in an 'especially heinous, cruel, and depraved manner' and Grell was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to the death penalty. However, this was overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court in 2013, which said his death sentence was "cruel and unusual punishment." It came after the Supreme Court in 2022 determined that it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to administer the death penalty to people with "mental deficiencies." 'Because of their disabilities in areas of reasoning, judgment, and control of their impulses, however, they do not act with the level of moral culpability that characterizes the most serious adult criminal conduct,' the Supreme Court ruled. It comes after another father allegedly smashed his one-year-old daughter's head on the floor in a drunken rage because she wouldn't stop crying, according to police. Suresh Dore, 40, was taken into custody by authorities on Sunday after he was accused of murdering his daughter during a violent drunken outburst. Police in India allege the man killed the little girl by smashing her head on the floor after he was irritated by her crying. The suspect tried to flee the scene but was quickly captured by police. "If he had fled, it would have been difficult to nab him as he doesn't own a mobile phone and is a daily wager," police inspector Prasad Pandhare said. Dore, who has four children from three wives, has been accused previously of violence in the home, police say.
New York Post
05-06-2025
- New York Post
Barbaric dad who set sleeping daughter, 2, on fire in desert dies behind bars 26 years after ‘heinous, cruel and depraved' slaying
An Arizona dad who told his 2-year-old daughter they were going to see Christmas lights but instead took her into the desert and lit the tot on fire has died in prison 26 years after the barbaric killing. The body of convicted murderer Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, was discovered by officials in the Arizona Prison Complex Tucson on April 19, but they did not disclose any details about his death. 4 The body of convicted murderer Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, was discovered in the Arizona Prison Complex Tucson on April 19, but they did not disclose any details about his death. Arizona Department of Corrections 'All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office,' the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry said in a statement to The Post Wednesday. The Prima County Medical Examiner's Office could not be reached for comment. Grell case was described by Arizona's highest court as 'horrific,' according to Grell picked up his young daughter, Kristen Salem, from a Mesa day care on Dec. 2, 1999, and took her to McDonald's, the outlet reported. He said they were going to see Christmas lights, reported in 2009, but instead drove to Target to buy a plastic gas can and gasoline, according to court documents. He drove to a deserted area in the desert outside Mesa, laid his sleeping daughter on the ground, doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire, the records said. 4 Kristen Salem, 2, was set on fire by her father, Shawn Ryan Grell, who died in prison in April. Little Kristen awoke, stumbled 10 feet while engulfed in flames, before collapsing on the ground. After killing his daughter, Grell went to buy beer at a nearby convenience store. He told the clerk that he had seen some teenagers setting a dog on fire in a vacant lot. He drove around for hours before calling the cops and turning himself in. He would later confess to the killing at a press conference early the next morning. 'I took the gasoline and I poured it on her,' he told investigators during a videotaped interview. 'I took the match and threw it on her,' he added with no trace of emotion in his voice. 4 Shawn Ryan Grell confessed to fatally setting his 2-year-old daughter on fire in an Arizona desert in 1999. 4 Little Kristen awoke, stumbled 10 feet while engulfed in flames, before collapsing on the ground. The court ruled that the senseless killing was committed in an 'especially heinous, cruel, and depraved manner' and Grell was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to death. But that was overturned via a unanimous ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court in 2013, which found his death sentence was 'cruel and unusual punishment.' Grell was one of 144 death sentences around the country affected by a Supreme Court decision in 2002 that ruled it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to administer the death penalty to people with 'mental deficiencies.' 'Because of their disabilities in areas of reasoning, judgment, and control of their impulses, however, they do not act with the level of moral culpability that characterizes the most serious adult criminal conduct,' the Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia. Grell's lawyers successfully argued, citing the killer's low IQ scores and other medical tests, that their client met the criteria laid out by the Supreme Court in their 6-3 decision.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
He Promised to Show His 2-Year-Old Daughter Christmas Lights — Instead, He Set Her on Fire. Now, He's Dead in Prison
Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, died on April 19 at ASPC-Tucson facility, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry He was convicted of dousing his two-year-old daughter with gasoline and setting her on fire His cause of death has yet to be reportedAn Arizona man who was serving a life sentence for pouring gasoline on his two-year-old daughter and setting her on fire has died in prison. Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, died on April 19 at ASPC-Tucson facility, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. 'All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office,' the department said. It's unclear how the inmate died. Grell picked up his daughter Kristen Salem from her daycare in Dec. 1999 with a plan to take her to see Christmas lights, the East Valley Tribune the twosome drove to a department store in Mesa where he purchased a gas can and then bought some gas. He then drove to a remote desert area in east Mesa before placing his daughter on the ground and setting her on fire, according to the Tribune. The girl crawled about 10 feet before she died, prosecutors said, per He was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery in connection to her killing in 2001 and sentenced to death. However in 2013, his death sentence was commuted after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that he had mental retardation, reported. He was sentenced to life in prison. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
He Promised to Show His 2-Year-Old Daughter Christmas Lights — Instead, He Set Her on Fire. Now, He's Dead in Prison
Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, died on April 19 at ASPC-Tucson facility, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry He was convicted of dousing his two-year-old daughter with gasoline and setting her on fire His cause of death has yet to be reportedAn Arizona man who was serving a life sentence for pouring gasoline on his two-year-old daughter and setting her on fire has died in prison. Shawn Ryan Grell, 50, died on April 19 at ASPC-Tucson facility, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. 'All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office,' the department said. It's unclear how the inmate died. Grell picked up his daughter Kristen Salem from her daycare in Dec. 1999 with a plan to take her to see Christmas lights, the East Valley Tribune the twosome drove to a department store in Mesa where he purchased a gas can and then bought some gas. He then drove to a remote desert area in east Mesa before placing his daughter on the ground and setting her on fire, according to the Tribune. The girl crawled about 10 feet before she died, prosecutors said, per He was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery in connection to her killing in 2001 and sentenced to death. However in 2013, his death sentence was commuted after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that he had mental retardation, reported. He was sentenced to life in prison. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man charged in deadly Goodyear group home stabbing once spent time in prison for manslaughter
The Brief We sat down with the family of a Native American man who was stabbed to death in a group home. Reno Caddo was 24 when he was killed at a facility in Goodyear. The suspect, Glynn Peaches, was Caddo's roommate at the facility. GOODYEAR, Ariz. - For two years, we've extensively covered the Sober Living Scheme that led to a $2 billion Medicaid scandal, with tribal members used as assets to bill the state for addiction treatment rarely provided. The Sober Living Scheme made national headlines in 2023, after people went missing and even died in certain facilities due to a lack of oversight and regulation by state agencies, stemming back to a time before the COVID-19 Pandemic. It's a scandal with repercussions still being felt by vulnerable people fighting addiction not just within Arizona, but from reservations across the country, as a majority of them are members of native tribes. In this latest report, we hear from family members of a Native American man who was stabbed to death in a group home, as they demand accountability. The backstory The deadly stabbing happened in Goodyear, at a behavioral health residential facility that looks like any other house. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, located near Indian School Road and Falcon Drive, now sits seemingly empty. It was there on April 12, 2025 when 24-year-old Reno Caddo was killed. According to Goodyear Police, Caddo was stabbed more than 10 times by his roommate, Glynn Peaches. Peaches said he and Caddo were drinking, and Caddo was being disrespectful. Caddo, according to Peaches, later pulled a kitchen knife on him, which led to a fight for the weapon. Peaches, who is accused of first-degree murder, had previous run-ins with the law. Dig deeper According to records from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR), Peaches, who is 45, served two decades in an Arizona prison for manslaughter. Per the records, Peaches was given the sentence on March 13, 2003. While in prison, Peaches was disciplined several times for possessing a weapon, assaulting an inmate, and disorderly conduct. He was released from prison in September 2023. As for charges filed against him in connection with Caddo's death, Peaches has pleaded not guilty. He is represented by a public defender, and the Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender has issued a statement that reads: "This is a deeply unfortunate situation that unfolded in the context of a severely mismanaged and ill-equipped group home – an environment that failed in its responsibility to protect vulnerable individuals. We look forward to receiving full discovery to better understand the circumstances leading to these charges, and to ensure that Mr. Peaches' rights are safeguarded throughout the legal process." As for the Goodyear address, officials with the Arizona Department of Health Services have it listed under "His Mercy Assisted LLC." The license was closed in November 2024. We reached out to "His Mercy Assisted," and was told the provider left the home several months ago. Days before AZDHS updated the AZ Care Check profile for this address, we saw it listed under "The Academy Behavioral Health & Wellness," an unlicensed sober living home. The owner said his company placed clients in the home on April 2, but moved out after Caddo's death. We reached out to officials with AZDHS regarding the name change, and they said there was a "data entry error and the entry has been corrected." By the numbers According to the City of Goodyear, police have received 184 calls for service related to group homes from January 2024 through May 2025. During that same timeframe, the city documented 75 unlicensed homes. However, neither the City of Goodyear nor its police department can tell us exactly how many of these properties are sober living homes or behavioral health residential facilities that are unlicensed. A spokesperson said facilities frequently change names, which makes it a challenge to classify the type of homes operating. The city currently recognizes three licensed sober living homes within the area. Meanwhile, Goodyear Police officials say there has been no increase or decrease in calls for group homes. Department officials said they are trying to improve how calls are categorized between mental health, substance abuse and other issues. It has been over a month since Caddo was killed, and his family is still searching for answers. "I was told that he got murdered," said Caddo's sister, Nekeshia. Nekeshia still has questions about the brutal attack. What Nekeshia Said "That night, I just heard they were drinking," said Nekeshia. "I don't know who got the liquor, but they were both drinking because they were in the same room." Caddo's oldest sister, Shamira, was unaware that Caddo was staying in a residential facility for behavioral health. What Shamira Said "It was a shock, definitely. I think I was still in the state of denial, and I feel like I still am in this state of denial," said Shamira. "I've seen a lot of the stories being covered, but I think I sort of came at it with an arrogant mindset of, like 'oh, that only happens to people who allow themselves to be vulnerable to that system.'" We also asked Shamira for her reaction to finding out that her brother was sharing a room with a convicted felon who spent time in prison for manslaughter. "That is reckless, you know, and it's sad because my brother paid that price for their recklessness, and there should be some justice held on their end, too," said Shamira. Shamira just wants justice for her brother, and accountability from the provider that she believes was supposed to keep him safe.
