FORT WORTH, TX – A Texas jury has sentenced a 28-year-old Fort Worth man to death after convicting him of murdering a mother of two as she attempted to leave their troubled relationship, prosecutors announced Monday.
Valerian Osteen was found guilty of capital murder in connection with the death of 26-year-old Marissa Grimes, whose body was discovered hidden in the crawl space beneath Osteen’s home in 2022. Authorities said Grimes had gone missing after deciding to move out of the area and pay Osteen one final visit.
According to investigators, the couple had a volatile history marked by domestic violence. Osteen, who had been ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device following Grimes’ earlier complaints to police, grew enraged at her actions. On Feb. 12, 2022, Grimes packed a U-Haul truck with her belongings in preparation for her departure. That evening, a neighbor witnessed a heated confrontation in which Osteen brandished a firearm at Grimes.
After that incident, Grimes vanished. Her family soon reported her missing. The U-Haul truck she had loaded was found abandoned several days later, further deepening concerns about her safety.
When detectives launched a search of Osteen’s residence, they uncovered Grimes’ body, wrapped in blankets and a tarp and concealed within the home’s crawl space. Prosecutors revealed that Osteen lived in the house for 10 days following the murder while Grimes’ body remained hidden below.
Medical examinations revealed Grimes suffered severe abuse before her death. She had multiple bruises, broken bones, two black eyes, and several lacerations to her head. Prosecutors described evidence of torture, including that her hair had been forcibly cut.
Court records indicate this was not the first time Osteen had been accused of violent acts against Grimes. A month before her killing, police alleged that Osteen held Grimes at gunpoint inside his home for several days, preventing her from leaving. He was arrested and released on bond after being charged with aggravated assault and unlawful restraint.
Jurors also heard testimony from another woman who alleged Osteen had threatened and assaulted her at gunpoint inside his home in the days after Grimes was last seen alive. She reported seeing blood inside the house, which Osteen claimed was from another person he had tortured.
After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict calling for the harshest punishment under Texas law. Osteen was sentenced to death, concluding a trial that underscored the lethal consequences of domestic violence.
Grimes is survived by her two young children. Her family says they are determined to keep her memory alive and speak out against abuse.