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Posted on Mon, Nov. 09, 2009 10:57 PM
KC man convicted of woman’s violent death
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Lorraine Grayson’s neighbors described the 77-year-old woman as a “beautiful person” — kind, generous and like a mother to the 3400 block of Jackson Avenue.
They were appalled to learn that one of their own was charged in her violent death, but elated on Monday when that man was convicted.
A jury found Norman R. Freeman, 48, who lived next door to Grayson, guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the September 2007 killing.
Longtime neighbor Everlean Brown said she didn’t fully comprehend how brutal the act was until Freeman’s six-day trial, which she and other neighbors attended.
“She had no reason to die like that, none whatsoever,” Brown said. “That hurt me to my heart.”
Grayson’s granddaughter discovered her body inside Grayson’s house. Grayson’s jaw was broken, her throat repeatedly slashed, and she had been sexually assaulted.
A witness told homicide detectives that she saw Freeman stand on the porch and then go into Grayson’s house the evening before she was found. Freeman testified last week that never went inside.
However, court documents say police searched Freeman’s house and found a shoe with blood on it. DNA tests revealed the blood was Grayson’s.
Only after a funeral director notified authorities of injuries was Grayson’s death classified as a homicide. Grayson’s and another misclassified homicide eventually prompted changes in the Jackson County medical examiner’s death investigations.
Freeman will be sentenced later.
The Star’s Tony Rizzo contributed to this report. To reach Sara Shepherd, call 816-234-4366 or send e-mail to sshepherd@kcstar.com.
Posted on Mon, Nov. 09, 2009 10:57 PM
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