Fort Worth man arrested in death of Arlington woman whose body was found under his home
A 24-year-old Fort Worth man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of an Arlington woman whose body was found under his home after she went missing in mid February, authorities said.
The suspect, Valerian Osteen, had been released from the Tarrant County Jail on a combined $15,000 bond on two domestic violence charges against the same victim in early January, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Saturday. His bond has now been revoked in connection to his previous arrest, and he is being held with no bond. Police said their homicide unit continues to investigate and authorities expect Osteen to face additional charges.
Fort Worth police said that on Monday they found a vehicle associated with a missing person report filed in Arlington. The woman, 26-year-old Marissa M. Grimes, was last seen by her family on Feb. 12.
“Officers soon discovered information that led them to an address in the 5800 block of Locke Avenue, where they tried to locate Ms. Grimes,” Fort Worth police said in a release Saturday.
Police added that they found evidence that suggested Grimes was dead around or inside the house, where Osteen lived, which led to a search warrant Tuesday. They found Grimes dead under the pier-and-beam house.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified Grimes’ body on Friday. An autopsy is pending to determine her cause of death.
District attorney criticizes suspect’s bond
For the second day in a row, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson issued a statement Saturday criticizing the bond amount set by a judge, which allowed a suspect with a violent history to be released from jail and commit another crime against his victim.
The District Attorney’s Office said Osteen had five prior felony convictions when he went before Magistrate Mark Thielman, who set the $10,000 bond on aggravated assault and $5,000 bond on unlawful restraint, both felony charges that Osteen was accused of committing against Grimes.
Thielman could not immediately be reached for comment. Magistrates are hired by judges to set bond in Tarrant County, according to the DA’s office.
Osteen also had a conviction for misdemeanor terroristic threat and several other misdemeanor charges.
The DA’s office said Thielman had access to a “danger assessment” for Grimes should Osteen be released. Her assessment indicated she was in “extreme danger.”
Osteen was required to wear a GPS monitor in the conditions of his bond, but the DA’s office said he allowed the battery to die. Judge Mike Thomas on Wednesday issued a warrant for his arrest for bond violation and revoked bond. Osteen was arrested that day, and police learned then that he had cut off his GPS leg monitor completely, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Because he is suspected of killing Grimes while out on bond for charges of committing domestic violence against her, the DA’s office has asked that Osteen never be allowed bond again.
In a similar statement Friday, Wilson was critical of the $3,500 bond set by Tarrant County District Judge Chris Wolfe in a domestic violence case against Lancelot Dawkins. After his release from jail Thursday, Wilson said, Dawkins went straight to his ex-girlfriend’s Fort Worth home, where he choked her unconscious and kidnapped their 11-month-old daughter. On Friday, police found the baby, Harmony Rodriguez, safe in New Mexico and arrested Dawkins. Wolfe could not be reached for comment.
Osteen was previously arrested by Fort Worth police on Jan. 10 in the domestic violence offense case that was reported on Jan. 9.
According to Tarrant County court documents, Osteen held Grimes against her will, pointed a gun at her and “intentionally or knowingly threaten[ed] imminent bodily injury to Grimes.” That incident also occurred at Osteen’s home on Locke Avenue, according to a police report.
The 24-year-old bonded out of jail within a few days of the assault, authorities said, and an emergency protective order was issued to prohibit him from contacting Grimes.
Court documents say Osteen is considered a habitual offender because he was previously convicted of felony charges including evading arrest and theft in Tarrant County in 2018 and 2017. Osteen also has had his probation revoked in the past for non-compliance with court orders, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Family, friends mourn Marissa Grimes
Grimes was last seen by her mother on Feb. 12 in Haltom City, according to a missing person flier created for her family.
“According to her family, she was held against her will for a week and was hiding from the man responsible,” the flier added.
Grimes was last seen headed to a friend’s house in Fort Worth to pick up personal belongings, and the police department later found her moving truck abandoned in an area “near the person she was hiding from” in west Fort Worth, the flier said. Her purse was found inside the truck, the flier said.
“Marissa is the mother of two kids and would never go this long without contacting her family,” the flier said.
In a public Facebook post, family friend Stephanie Kegley wrote that Grimes’ death never should have happened.
“She had the strength to go report the abuse and NOTHING happened as a result,” the post reads. “She had no protection and when they allowed him to bail out, he set his sights on revenge.”
“Please pray, wrap your arms around her family and friends. We are NOT okay. We are ANGRY,” the post says. “Our angel was taken from us.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 12:30 PM.
