Family of murdered Texas nursing student files $65M wrongful death lawsuit
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The family of a Texas nursing student killed mere days before her graduation ceremony has filed a $65 million wrongful death lawsuit.
The parents of 23-year-old Elizabeth “Tami” Odunsi, a British-American student at the Dallas-area Texas Woman’s University, said they listened helplessly on speakerphone at their London home as their daughter was stabbed to death in the Houston apartment she shared with a 40-year-old male roommate in April.
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“Elizabeth was a bright light – a brilliant young woman, a loving daughter, sister, and friend,” father John Odunsi said in a statement released by The Cox Pradia Law Firm.
“We trusted that she would be safe while pursuing her dreams, but instead, her life was taken in the most brutal and unimaginable way. Her mother and I heard it all unfold. The pain we carry from that moment is beyond words.”
The family said their daughter had recently moved to Houston to complete her nursing degree and was set to walk the stage at Texas Woman’s University to accept her diploma.
Instead, her sister accepted it on her behalf posthumously.
“Walking across that stage to accept Tami’s diploma was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Georgina Odunsi. “She should have been there, proud and radiant. Instead, I carried the weight of her absence, and the pain of what was taken from our family.”
The lawsuit claims that the victim, also a well-known social media influencer, was paired at random with Chester Lamar Grant by For a Place to Live, a student-housing provider.
According to the company’s website, it performs background checks when screening potential roommates, but lawyers for the family told Houston ABC affiliate KTRK the task is outsourced to SafeRent Solutions.
Named in the lawsuit are For A Place To Live, SafeRent Solutions, the landlord and Grant.
The family said their daughter repeatedly warned her property manager that she did not feel safe around her roommate, according to the lawsuit, adding the accused killer had a history of domestic violence convictions.
The claim alleges Grant poured liquid on her and knocked her phone out of her hand just days before her death. She filed a police report and scheduled a teleconference meeting with the property manager and her parents, but it was abruptly cancelled before the murder.
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On April 26, she was still shaken by the incident and called her parents in London while returning home from her final clinical session, according to the lawsuit. A few minutes after she entered the apartment, her parents heard a confrontation begin, followed by screaming, and then silence.
“This case is about more than one horrific crime,” said lawyer Troy Pradia. “It’s about how a system designed to protect tenants – especially vulnerable young people – ignored every warning sign and stood by in silence. Elizabeth asked for help. She did everything right. And she was killed anyway.”
Besides the wrongful death and gross negligence claims, the suit also seeks survival damages from the emotional trauma suffered by Odunsi’s parents.
“We’re pursuing $65 million in damages but let me be clear – no amount of money can ever measure the value of Elizabeth’s life,” lawyer Jonathan Cox said. “This lawsuit is a demand for accountability – and a warning to every company that cuts corners when it comes to people’s safety.”
The Houston Police Department said the deadly stabbing was over a disagreement involving Grant’s cat.
In May, KTRK reported Odunsi was knifed 28 times and found lifeless on the kitchen floor after police officers were called to the apartment for a welfare check.
Cops found Grant, a student attending Fordham University, in a bedroom suffering from at least one stab wound. He was taken to hospital in critical condition but survived.
Grant was charged with Odunsi’s murder in May and remains at Harris County Jail.
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