A British-Nigerian student nurse’s roommate has been charged with her murder after she was stabbed to death in Texas.
Elizabeth Odunsi, known to her friends and family as Tamilore Odunsi, was found with multiple stab wounds on the kitchen floor of a property in Houston on April 26
Investigators identified Grant as both the victim’s roommate and the primary suspect in the homicide investigation. He was taken into custody on Friday, May 2, and formally charged with murder by authorities.
The two individuals lived in an offsite student housing quadplex. The victim, Elizabeth Odunsi, was a 23-year-old nursing student set to graduate just days after her death.
She went by the name of Tami Dollars on the social media platform TikTok and had amassed more than 45,000 followers.
According to Texas Woman’s University, Odunsi was on track to earn her nursing degree. Grant, meanwhile, was identified in court as a student attending Fordham University.
During proceedings in probable cause court, a magistrate revealed that the altercation leading to Odunsi’s death stemmed from a dispute involving Grant’s pet cat. The magistrate described the incident in court as a “brutal murder,” emphasizing the violent nature of the killing.
The Houston Police Department confirmed that officers had previously been called to the quadplex on multiple occasions. Neighbors and other residents stated that police were on site the same day the body was discovered, responding to a fight between Grant and Odunsi just hours before she was found dead.
Further information emerged in court showing that Grant had a history of domestic violence. Specifically, he had been arrested and convicted several times in Washington state for domestic violence-related offenses. His most recent arrest occurred in 2023 for violating a protective order, indicating a continued pattern of behavior.
The apartment building on Goforth Street, where the incident occurred, rents individual rooms through a company named “For a Place to Live.” The company does not match roommates based on compatibility. Their official website states: “We don’t use any criteria to match roommate compatibility to place roommates,” suggesting that the random roommate assignment process may have played a role in escalating tensions between residents.
The rental company stated that it conducts background checks on all applicants who apply to live in the shared housing units. Despite this, the company housed Grant in a shared unit with Odunsi, even with his violent history.
According to a quote from the company’s website, “If the applicant has questionable items in the background that we think are not a fit for a shared house, we ask that they get a private unit.” It is unclear whether this policy was followed in Grant’s case or if there was a lapse in judgment or oversight.
The Houston Police Department said that on April 26, just before 4 p.m., officers were dispatched to the apartment complex on Goforth Street to perform a welfare check. Upon arriving and knocking at the door with no response, officers noticed blood on the back patio of the unit.
Inside the apartment, officers found the body of Elizabeth Odunsi lying on the kitchen floor. She had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel.
In another room of the apartment, officers located Chester Grant. He was injured with at least one stab wound and was immediately transported to the hospital in critical condition. Investigators stated that it is currently unclear how Grant sustained his injuries but believe they may have been self-inflicted.
Following the discovery, investigators confirmed Grant’s identity as the victim’s roommate and the primary suspect in the homicide. He was formally arrested and charged with murder on May 2.
The motive and circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear, but authorities suspect foul play.
Odunsi’s death has sparked outrage and sorrow across social media, with many calling for justice and a deeper probe into the circumstances surrounding her killing.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to bring Odunsi’s body back to the UK from the US.
The fundraiser has raised more than £64,000 (US$85,000) towards the cost of Odunsi’s repatriation, funeral, and burial, “and to support our family during this incredibly painful time.