Shawn Grell convicted of burning baby to death, back in court

**lucky** · June 23rd, 2009, 08:03 PM

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix man convicted of killing his little daughter by setting her on fire in the desert is due back in court.

Shawn Grell, 34, was sentenced to death in 2001, after admitting dousing his 2-year-old, Kristen, with gasoline, lighting a match and leaving the toddler to burn to death in a remote area near Apache Junction.

Grell waived his trial in the Dec. 2 1999 murder, pleading guilty in September 2000. The next year, an East Valley judge. Barbara Jarrett, who spent 12 years on the bench and only sentenced one person --Grell -- to death, has since retired.

The 2001 decision came before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital cases must be decided by a jury rather than a judge. That ruling forced an overhaul of Arizona's death penalty law, which means a jury will now decide Grell's fate.

Grell's lawyers are expected to argue that Grell has such a low IQ that he shouldn't get the death penalty. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute mentally retarded criminals, calling it "cruel and unusual punishment."

http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepag....1aee4fb8.html

**coffee achiever** · June 24th, 2009, 11:15 AM

...dousing his 2-year-old, Kristen, with gasoline, lighting a match and leaving the toddler to burn to death in a remote area near Apache Junction

I don't give a tin shit how low his IQ is. Unless he's brain dead, he KNEW that was wrong.

That poor, poor baby. Her final moments must have been absolutely excruciating and utterly terrifying.

Edit: Horrifying details of Kristen's death below. WARNING: Graphic and disturbing.

http://www.8bm.com/diatribes/volume01/002/021.htm

Shawn Ryan Grell's account to investigators as he was charged with first-degree murder was that he had driven his 2-year old daughter to her death under the guise that she was going to look at Christmas lights. Grell took his 2-year-old daughter who was laying in the grass, doused her in gasoline and set her on fire. She died face first in a nearby ditch.

When he set her on fire she was lying on the ground, she got up and ran about 12 feet, walking in circles at one point as the blaze spread towards her face. The heat was so intense that a barrette on the left side of Kristen’s head melted, and the plastic started running down her face. She finally collapsed face first in a ditch and died.

Autopsy shows that her lungs were covered in soot, proving that she was alive when she was set on fire.

...

Dr. Seth Asser, an expert in child trauma and burn injuries, testified today that there is no doubt in his mind that little Kristen Salem suffered horribly as she burned to death, the majority of her body consumed by flame. "Kristen became extremely confused from the lack of oxygen before her heart eventually stopped," he said. The little girl "would have had to be in pain from the quickest instant when she was set on fire until she fell over, and maybe sometime after that," Asser said.

Kristen's mother, Amber Salem, ran from the courtroom crying during Asser's testimony.

**Radness Madness!** · June 24th, 2009, 12:04 PM

Jesus Fucking Christ!

fry him. set him on fire, cut his limbs off. now.

Christmas lights? the mental images of what went down are horrifying and hard to get out of my head. poor girl.

**Peeperann** · June 24th, 2009, 12:07 PM

Aw, fucking hell!!! And someone is actually trying to save his life?? I don't care if your IQ is 2, you do that to anyone especially a precious baby, you fucking die. ASAP!!!!

**Just my luck sucks** · June 24th, 2009, 12:14 PM

His defense attorneys argued that their client Shawn Ryan Grell suffers from an “organic” brain disorder that impairs his ability to follow the law.
Which is amazing. Just how many disorders, rare diseases, and mental illnesses are discovered each year not by medical physicians but by your everyday average defense attorney?
When everyone stopped laughing and order was restored Grell’s attorneys went to psychological disorder B.
Then they then argued that his “emotional and intellectual ages” were retarded.
However, no one was really sure what that even meant.

Brain Disorder? Yet he's bright enough he could drive a car--I call fucking BS!!
He should receive the same death penalty he gave his daughter.

**LocalCelebrity** · June 24th, 2009, 12:33 PM

Holy shit, I read stories here every, single day and have been doing so for some time. This one, the details of what this baby went through, has bothered me the most. A little girl is extremely trusting, especially when its her father. What in the fuck? Someone needs to kill this mother fucker...and not with some injection that will put him to sleep, make him fucking suffer.

**ineedanap** · June 24th, 2009, 12:33 PM

In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute mentally retarded criminals, calling it "cruel and unusual punishment."

Wonder what the Supreme Court would call burning a 2 yo ALIVE??

JFC, I am going to hurl.

**Valasca** · June 24th, 2009, 12:39 PM

No, sorry. If you can teach a cat to use a litter box, or teach a dog to not poop on the carpet, sure this waste of skin knew what he was doing was wrong.
Fry the fucker. And don't wet the sponge.

**coffee achiever** · June 24th, 2009, 12:44 PM

I'm having a hard time keeping it together after reading the details of her death. I found a couple of other newspaper stories from 1999 that are pretty upsetting, but I think what I've posted here is enough. You guys know how to use Google.

Unless "EVIL" is now being classified as a mental handicap, this guy isn't retarded.

I can't imagine being this girl's mother and having to know that it was MY child who died so horribly. I think I'd stay alive long enough to see this guy fry, then join my daughter in whatever afterlife there may be.

**Gidget** · June 24th, 2009, 12:45 PM

Subhuman piece of shit. Fine. Don't kill him. Tattoo what he did on his forehead and set him loose in general population. Make sure at least a couple of the other inmates have lighters.

Then send the guards on a long lunch.

**LocalCelebrity** · June 24th, 2009, 12:51 PM

I tried to find a picture of this scumbag or the baby but was unsuccessful.

**coffee achiever** · June 24th, 2009, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by LocalCelebrity

I tried to find a picture of this scumbag or the baby but was unsuccessful.

Shawn's mugshot.

http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/dat...L%20SHAWN,%20R

**StashRider** · June 24th, 2009, 01:07 PM

This guy was not mentally disabled. But if he was he still has to pay just like everyone else.

I worked for a group houses at one point. One of the houses had a group of mentally disabled pedophiles of whom each had offended multiple times. Molestation, rape, assault. You fucking name it.

They had never been convicted of any of their crimes. And they never will. So even though they are smart enough to lure small children into their trust and then rape them, apparently they were not smart enough to pay the price.

I hated that house. All of them knew they could offend without consequence and it showed in their everyday behavior.

**MissKerosene** · June 24th, 2009, 01:07 PM

I am sitting here just gutted!!! This is possibly the most horrific story I have ever read here. I cant imagine how that poor angel suffered at the hands of this piece of shite! I honestly am not a big believer in the death penalty but thats just my personal feelings but this story may have just swayed me.

This cunt was competent enough to shag the mum, to lie to his daughter to come prepared with petrol to set that wee darling alight ugghhh he is scum fucking let him die the same death she did! Fuck it I need to go away for a bit and regroup my head this horror had fucked me up!

RIP sweet angel and may your Mummy and family that loved you find peace!

**Just my luck sucks** · June 24th, 2009, 03:07 PM

Autopsy and medical records indicate Kristen showed signs of abuse, and her relatives have said Grell may have been trying to cover up sexual abuse by killing the child.

From another googled link.

RIP sweet little Kristen.

**lucky** · June 24th, 2009, 04:40 PM

My god, I had no idea of those details when I posted that first article. I am sick.

Just the thought of her being excited to go look at christmas lights and then...
Well, that is a thought that isn't going to leave me anytime soon.

and this...

When he set her on fire she was lying on the ground, she got up and ran about 12 feet, walking in circles at one point as the blaze spread towards her face. The heat was so intense that a barrette on the left side of Kristen’s head melted, and the plastic started running down her face. She finally collapsed face first in a ditch and died.

I will likely never forget.

**LocalCelebrity** · June 24th, 2009, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by coffee achiever

Shawn's mugshot.

http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/dat...L%20SHAWN,%20R

**LocalCelebrity** · June 24th, 2009, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by coffee achiever

Shawn's mugshot.

http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/dat...L%20SHAWN,%20R

**thebooblady** · June 24th, 2009, 05:30 PM

I read in another article that he signed the child out of daycare with the mother's name. The mother was only 16 or 17 when she had her according to her age on MySpace. There are pictures of Kristen here: http://www.myspace.com/423948594

**lucky** · June 24th, 2009, 05:40 PM

**coffee achiever** · June 24th, 2009, 05:41 PM

Here's the pic of Kristen from her mom's MySpace slideshow:

EDIT: Lucky beat me to it! ;)

**thebooblady** · June 24th, 2009, 05:56 PM

Court document that details the events leading up to and after her death: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:...&ct=clnk&gl=us

**Inkdmomma78** · June 24th, 2009, 09:55 PM

I hope this piece of shit gets shanked in the big house

R.I.P. baby girl

**DarkPrincess** · June 24th, 2009, 10:09 PM

His IQ doesn't matter. Evil is evil and I can't imagine anything more evil, than setting a baby on fire. Who in their right fucking mind would defend this monster?

**totallytoddler** · June 24th, 2009, 10:21 PM

~sighs~ I think I need a break from the horror...I can't take it anymore.....I just don't get it. Did he actually watch her burn?? And then describe it?

OMG....what a sick mother fucker.....light his sorry ass on fire....so he can see how it feels.
Piece of shit.

**DogMom** · June 24th, 2009, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by lucky

What a beautiful little girl. Almost the spitting image of my niece when she was a baby.

Lethal injection is too good. Douse him with gasoline and... No, use NAPALM.

**coffee achiever** · June 24th, 2009, 11:07 PM

Here's another link with the details of Kristen's death and Grell's conviction and initial sentencing. His death sentence has been thrown out, but from what I understand, this simply means he'll go before a jury to be resentenced, and that the jury can choose to sentence him to death.

http://www.dui1.com/DuiCaseLawDetail1730/Page1.htm

Given the evidence and Grell's own statement to police, I don't see how a jury could NOT give him the death penalty, but anything's possible.

I feel TERRIBLE for Kristen's mom - I know she was pleased with the death sentence, and was trying to put this behind her as best she could and move forward with her life. I'm sure this must be a HUGE blow to her emotionally, to have to go through ALL of this over again. I can't imagine it.

**Silvahalo** · June 25th, 2009, 12:40 AM

Grell then drove to a remote area near Apache Junction,
took his sleeping daughter out of the car, and laid her on the
ground in a drainage ditch approximately fifteen feet from the
road. Kristen woke up as her father poured gasoline over her. He
then lit a match and flicked it on her, setting her on fire.
Kristen stumbled around, walking at least twelve feet before
falling to her knees and then collapsing face down in the dirt.
She died from smoke inhalation and severe burns over 98% of her body,
only the bottoms of her feet were not burned...

I have read that there are no evil men, simply evil acts....I beg to ask, are not these evil acts committed by men?
Point in case, evil man Shawn Ryan Grell, baby killer.

I have no doubt that this evil person understood what he was doing, that he contemplated then premeditated his actions and that he undeniably deserves DEATH.

There is little consequence to be handed in the suffering of baby Kristen. On that day, a defenseless, trusting little girl, who loved her father, was brutally murdered in way so horrific, we who suffer for her, can never fully comprehend her anguish. Can justice truly be served for a sin so vile, so putrid that it reeks form the pages we read from? I believe as I always have, evil like this man, Shawn Grell, will face a far higher penance, retribution that which will pale in comparison to what he experiences in prison. Only after death will his true suffering commence. Hell is waiting Mr. Grell. I believe that as much as I believe baby Kristen is in heaven, suffering no more. No need to believe, death will come for you nevertheless and bring you faith as your flesh is burned time and time again.

May the lights of fire in hell shine upon the wicked as they beg for mercy...alas, none will be found....for there is none for the wicked at heart. ~Silvahalo

There are no words lovely one, none that can write of my deepest sorrow for your death. There is only reprieve as I know now you are in the heavens, an angel amongst angels suffering no more. Kisses sweet love...kisses.