Thomas Wayne Grant - Murdered Nov 16, 1976
Park Centre Apartments - Cleveland, OH
Photo credit: Defrosting Cold Cases
I recently came across Thomas' case at Defrosting Cold Cases.
Thomas Grant was a hard-working, promising young attorney who was looking forward to a bright future. He was brutally murdered in the early morning of November 16, 1976 and his killer has never been apprehended. Worse, his story and cold case details have all but disappeared from the public record. Defrosting Cold Cases featured his story in July of last year using details provided by his family, including old newspaper clippings from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You can find a detailed summary of his case at this link:
Unsolved: Thomas Wayne Grant - Defrosting Cold Cases
Upon graduating from Boston University with his law degree, Thomas returned to his hometown of Cleveland, OH. Intelligent and ambitious, he was soon practicing law at one of the most prestigious law firms in Ohio, Squire Sanders & Dempsey. He had a dream job, a nice car and for the last 3 years had been living in the new, fashionable (and secure) Park Centre Apartments in downtown Cleveland.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, November 16, 1976, Thomas was found in the bathroom of his apartment, kneeling with his face in a few inches of water in the bathtub. He had several wounds to his face and head, his skull was fractured and he had been strangled possibly with an electrical wire that was found dangling from his neck. He was still dressed in jeans and shirt and his empty wallet was found nearby. Investigators later surmised he'd been struck with a large wooden gavel found nearby.
The apartment showed no signs of struggle and, because it was a secure building with a 24 hr guard on duty, any visitor would have to be accompanied by Thomas or sent to his apartment with his permission. Thomas' body was found by his former roommate, Donald Cook (age 22), who immediately called police.
Police discovered Thomas had been spotted the night before at two downtown nightclubs. He was seen leaving one of them, Twiggy's Place, at 2:00 am. When interviewed the next day, the manager of the club declined to give his name and said he didn't know him. Twiggy's Place, a popular downtown nightclub, was one of Cleveland's most popular gay bars in the 70's, catering to both gay and straight clientele. At the time, many in the gay community may have been reluctant to talk to police or publicly identify themselves, so important clues may have been missed.
Thomas' roommate was questioned, but the investigation went nowhere. No suspects were named. The story disappeared from the local Cleveland Plain Dealer after 3 days. Today, Thomas' case isn't even listed in the Ohio Attorney General's Cold Case web site.
I found a brief, one sentence news blurb about Thomas Grant's murder in the Novembe 17 issue of the Akron Beacon Journal.
17 Nov 1976, Page 21 - The Akron Beacon Journal at Newspapers.com
Thomas Grant's murder was a tragic loss to his friends and family, but also to his community. In addition to his work at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, he volunteered his services at the Legal Aid Society, providing free legal assistance to low income people in need. He was a great person whose loss is still felt and it would be an honor to help re-open his case and bring his killer to justice. Who killed Thomas Wayne Grant?
There are more details and some good theories offered at Defrosting Cold Cases
Unsolved: Thomas Wayne Grant - Defrosting Cold Cases
Park Centre Apartments - Cleveland, OH
Photo credit: Defrosting Cold Cases
I recently came across Thomas' case at Defrosting Cold Cases.
Thomas Grant was a hard-working, promising young attorney who was looking forward to a bright future. He was brutally murdered in the early morning of November 16, 1976 and his killer has never been apprehended. Worse, his story and cold case details have all but disappeared from the public record. Defrosting Cold Cases featured his story in July of last year using details provided by his family, including old newspaper clippings from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You can find a detailed summary of his case at this link:
Unsolved: Thomas Wayne Grant - Defrosting Cold Cases
Upon graduating from Boston University with his law degree, Thomas returned to his hometown of Cleveland, OH. Intelligent and ambitious, he was soon practicing law at one of the most prestigious law firms in Ohio, Squire Sanders & Dempsey. He had a dream job, a nice car and for the last 3 years had been living in the new, fashionable (and secure) Park Centre Apartments in downtown Cleveland.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, November 16, 1976, Thomas was found in the bathroom of his apartment, kneeling with his face in a few inches of water in the bathtub. He had several wounds to his face and head, his skull was fractured and he had been strangled possibly with an electrical wire that was found dangling from his neck. He was still dressed in jeans and shirt and his empty wallet was found nearby. Investigators later surmised he'd been struck with a large wooden gavel found nearby.
The apartment showed no signs of struggle and, because it was a secure building with a 24 hr guard on duty, any visitor would have to be accompanied by Thomas or sent to his apartment with his permission. Thomas' body was found by his former roommate, Donald Cook (age 22), who immediately called police.
Police discovered Thomas had been spotted the night before at two downtown nightclubs. He was seen leaving one of them, Twiggy's Place, at 2:00 am. When interviewed the next day, the manager of the club declined to give his name and said he didn't know him. Twiggy's Place, a popular downtown nightclub, was one of Cleveland's most popular gay bars in the 70's, catering to both gay and straight clientele. At the time, many in the gay community may have been reluctant to talk to police or publicly identify themselves, so important clues may have been missed.
Thomas' roommate was questioned, but the investigation went nowhere. No suspects were named. The story disappeared from the local Cleveland Plain Dealer after 3 days. Today, Thomas' case isn't even listed in the Ohio Attorney General's Cold Case web site.
I found a brief, one sentence news blurb about Thomas Grant's murder in the Novembe 17 issue of the Akron Beacon Journal.
17 Nov 1976, Page 21 - The Akron Beacon Journal at Newspapers.com
Thomas Grant's murder was a tragic loss to his friends and family, but also to his community. In addition to his work at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, he volunteered his services at the Legal Aid Society, providing free legal assistance to low income people in need. He was a great person whose loss is still felt and it would be an honor to help re-open his case and bring his killer to justice. Who killed Thomas Wayne Grant?
There are more details and some good theories offered at Defrosting Cold Cases
Unsolved: Thomas Wayne Grant - Defrosting Cold Cases
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