A Georgia mother told investigators that the moments before her 11-year-old daughter was killed felt “like a dream,” testimony said, before officers found the child stabbed, cleaned and positioned in a living room recliner with a blanket and a Bible devotional book.
Jail records show Shannen Grimes, 52, is charged with murder, first-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony and tampering with evidence in connection with the Nov. 15 death of her daughter, Genesis Grimes.
Sandy Springs police detective Isaiah Tomlin testified at a Dec. 10 hearing that Grimes told investigators, “I never intended to kill my daughter,” and described the period before officers arrived as “being like ‘a dream,’” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tomlin said Grimes told police she had grown “fearful and paranoid” after a recent trip to visit her elderly father in New Jersey and believed that if she killed herself, “she and Genesis would both wake up, basically, like a bad dream,” per the AJC.
He added that Grimes indicated she feared someone might try to harm her or her daughter “to get to his money or resources,” the outlet reported.
Police were sent to the family’s home after Grimes sent an alarming message to her sister on the morning of Nov. 16, according to the AJC, Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta.
“If they are harming girls, they cannot have Gen,” the message read, according to testimony cited by the AJC. “My beautiful, talented angel can sing her whistle tone in heaven,” she continued, per the outlet.
Her sister called 911, and officers arrived minutes later, the outlets reported.
Officers found Grimes lying on a couch and noted she had injured herself, according to the AJC and Atlanta News First.
Genesis was discovered dead in a nearby recliner, staged with a blanket and Bible devotional in her lap, the outlets reported.
Tomlin testified the girl had been stabbed at least four times and suffered defensive wounds — including a deep cut around the base of her right thumb — and appeared to have been cleaned before being placed in the chair, the AJC reported.
Neighbors told FOX 5 Atlanta the mother and daughter were known as polite and kind, and said the news left them stunned.
“You just say to yourself, how could I have not known what in the world was going on,” neighbor Mona D’Agostino told the station.
A Fulton County magistrate judge ruled on Dec. 10 that there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to a grand jury, according to the AJC. Police have been in contact with Genesis’ school, where counselors are available to students and staff who need support, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
