Elizabeth Odunsi was killed on April 26. Investigators said her roommate, Chester Grant, stabbed her more than two dozen times during an argument over his cat.
HOUSTON — A 23-year-old British nursing student was just days away from graduating when she was stabbed to death at her apartment in Houston last month.
Her roommate, the suspect, appeared in court over the weekend. Chester Grant, 40, is charged with murder and is accused of stabbing Elizabeth Tamilore Odunsi 28 times during an argument about his cat. He’s being held at the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Chester Grant
Houston police said Odunsi was killed on April 26 inside her apartment on Goforth Street in Houston’s South Side. She was found dead on the kitchen floor, authorities said. Homicide investigators said the deadly incident between her and Grant stemmed from an argument about his cat.
“The allegations in this case allege he stabbed his female roommate 28 times, killing her over some disagreement over his cat. So, this is an allegedly extremely brutal murder with an extensive history of violence, which I find to be an extreme danger to the community,” a judge said.
Odunsi was just days away from graduating from nursing school. It was something she talked about frequently on TikTok.
“I’m about to graduate and I really wish I had this (holding up a book) during nursing school because it definitely would have helped,” she said in one video while promoting a book.
She posted videos detailing her time in nursing school after moving to the United States from the United Kingdom. In the last video she posted, on April 21, she was dancing and said she was two weeks away from graduating.
Police said Odunsi and Grant were roommates for about two months.
Now, her family is working to bring her body home.
Police said Grant tried to take his own life after killing Odunsi. They said he stabbed himself at least six times, including in the neck. He had a bandage on his neck during his court appearance and in his mugshot. The judge also said Grant has previous arrests and convictions for violent crimes in another state.
Odunsi’s loved ones created a GoFundMe account to help with expenses. They said she moved to America to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse and dedicating herself to a life of care and service. They added that their goal was to bring her body home so she could be “laid to rest surrounded by her family and loved ones.”
The graduation she was supposed to be part of was held last weekend.
Grant was due back in court on Monday, but he didn’t appear because he’s still waiting for a court-appointed attorney.
Heartbreaking moment sister of British-Nigerian nurse, Tamilore Odunsi, received her award at her graduation ceremony a week after she was murd3red in Texas. pic.twitter.com/BVI2iDUcAe
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) May 5, 2025