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Brought to you by Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
A Hokes Bluff man who killed his girlfriend—and was caught with her wrapped body in his home—has entered guilty pleas in the case. Twenty-seven-year-old Jeremy Wayne Grissom entered pleas in Gadsden, to murder, and abuse of a corpse, his original charges upon his May 2010 arrest.
Grissom was charged in the beating death of his live-in girlfriend, Monica Michelle Payne, who was originally from Dekalb County. At the time of the incident, the Etowah County Sheriff's Office said a family member went to visit Grissom at his home, and found Payne's body wrapped in duct tape, and stuffed into a duffel bag. Sheriff Todd Entrekin said at the time it was obvious Grissom had planned the crime. Grissom was supposed to go on trial Tuesday afternoon in the courtroom of Etowah County Circuit Judge David Kimberly. A jury was downstairs waiting to be seated. However, the beginning of the trial was delayed by what appeared to be talks in conference rooms, between prosecutor Marcus Reid and defense attorney Roy McCord. At one point McCord could be seen meeting with Grissom and two family members before leaving the courtroom again. Grissom showed no emotions as Judge Kimberly read him his various rights he would be waiving, and accepted his pleas. District Attorney Jimmie Harp confirmed it was a "blind plea," with no specific sentences and no lesser charges. "There were no plea agreement offers made, that kind of thing," Harp stated. Harp also said the case was a strong one, and credited the work done by Hokes Bluff Police and the Etowah County Sheriff's Office. Family members of Monica Payne left without comment, as did defense attorney Roy McCord. Judge Kimberly will sentence Grissom June 11th. Grissom could get anywhere from 10 to 99 years on the murder charge alone, and Harp says this case "is not a minimum sentence case."
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Keywords: Hokes Bluff, beating, girlfriend, death, Gadsden, Jeremy Wayne Grissom, Etowah County,
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