Jailhouse letters written by convicted murderer Stephen Grant to convicted child killer Jennifer Kukla shows a confident man who boasts of his celebrity and his way with the ladies.
The series of more than 20 letters were written from June to October of 2007 while the two were in the Macomb County Jail in Michigan. Grant, who is awaiting sentencing, is believed to have slipped the notes to Kukla beneath lunch trays.
Grant is incarcerated in the Macomb County Jail awaiting sentencing on Feb. 21, after being convicted in December of murdering and dismembering his wife, Tara Grant.
Kukla was convicted of first-degree murder in September, after she stabbed her daughters Alexandra, 8, and Ashley, 5, inside her Macomb Township trailer. Kukla, who also killed three family dogs and a pet mouse during her Feb. 4, 2007 killing spree, is serving a life sentence in the Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, where she is receiving mental health treatment.
Grant's letters were released today by the Macomb County Prosecutors Office in response to Freedom of Information requests.
Prosecutors also released letters Grant wrote to other women, including Crystal Conklin, a 27-year-old Warren woman who is charged with fatally beating her 2-year-old son.
The office also released audio files today of Grant leaving messages on Tara Grant's cell phone after he'd fatally strangled her on Feb. 9, 2007, in an apparent effort to cover up his crime.
Some of the excerpts of the letters are listed below:
§ "I figure that you might like someone you can just 'talk' to. Because of the publicity surrounding both of our cases, it's not like either of us is going to give our letters to the news media. ... At least I hope not. (Smiley face.)"
§ "I apologize for assuming that you know about me ... everyone does. (LOL) So much so that (the deputies) call me 'celebrity.' I am here in jail charged with murdering my wife. Ask the other ladies if they know 'Steve Grant.' They probably do. (Indifferent face.)"
§ "I figured that, because of the news coverage of my case, you would know all about me. ... I'm 37, brown curly hair, 6 ft. ... by the way, I don't normally have 'those' eyes, they just used the same picture over and over on TV. (Smiley face.)"
§ "The reason it's safe for me ... is the notoriety of my case. I have been told that I am the Sheriff's re-election priority. Also, every time that I am in court, the TV cameras are ALL there and if I have a black eye it will be on CNN. (Smiley face.)"
§ "I'm glad you're not too mad. (Smiley face.) It has been nice writing/talking to you these past couple months. I still laugh when I remember your one note ... You asked 'are you scared of me?' (LOL) You are too nice to be scared of. I just wish we could arrange a rendezvous in the closet one of these days. (Smiley face)."
§ "I hope you know that you will be OK no matter what happens. I'm pretty sure you're stronger than you think you are."
§ "Before this current situation, I loved being outside ... running, mountain biking, etc. ... spending time with my kids also was very important. I really miss them."
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