HOLTS SUMMIT - Two 9mm rounds, 7 pounds of marijuana, $15,000 and a missing safe. These are some of the odd items surrounding David Grant's death.
Each is mentioned in the probable cause statement submitted by the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, which reveals more about the case.
Grant, 67, was found dead in his Platinum Drive home just outside Holts Summit at about 1:30 a.m. April 27, according to past law enforcement statements. He apparently had been shot in the head.
Amy Steward, 44, was arrested Saturday and has been charged with first-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance. The probable cause statement filed by Sheriff Clay Chism reveals Steward had been Grant's girlfriend, and lived with him at the time of the shooting.
This claim is backed by Megan Werdehausen, who lives near Grant's house.
"We actually spoke to (Steward) the day before (the death)," Werdehausen said Tuesday. "She asked us about planting flowers and if that was OK. She seemed fine then."
She added that Grant was a "kind guy" and "very sweet."
Steward herself made the 911 call, according to Chism's statement. She told deputies she had been at the home of a friend, referred to as R.S. in the probably cause statement, until returning home at 1:30 a.m. to find Grant dead, Chism said. She also said she'd searched the residence and discovered a safe containing "a large quantity of marijuana" and $15,000 in cash was missing.
Medical examination revealed Grant had been shot using a 9mm handgun at close range while Grant sat in a chair in the living room. Deputies found a spent 9mm shell casing embedded in a nearby couch and a live 9mm round in another room, but couldn't locate a firearm, Chism stated.
Law enforcement spoke to R.S., who said Steward had left his house by 10:30-11 p.m., Chism reported. A search of Steward's phone revealed a text from her to R.S.
"Steward suggests that she needed the help of R.S. and that R.S. may be questioned by the police and that he should tell the police that (she) was at (his house) playing Scrabble that same evening," Chism stated.
Deputies arrested Steward, and Chism began the questioning process. She later admitted to sending the text, according to the statement.
Following her arrest, deputies found small stains "consistent with human blood" on Steward's clothes, Chism said.
Shifting stories
Initially, Steward blamed one of Grant's daughters for his death, Chism said.
Later, she told Chism a man referred to as J.S. was responsible. Chism recounts Steward's story that J.S. had assaulted her and taken her at gunpoint to Grant's house with the intent to steal from Grant. During a subsequent conversation, Chism said, Steward told him J.S. was angry at Grant's daughter.
"Steward reported that J.S. directed her to stay in the basement of the home while he went upstairs," Chism said. "(She said) she heard a gunshot and went upstairs to find Grant had been shot in the head."
She also accused J.S. of sexually assaulting her then crying and asking her "not to tell," Chism said. She initially told her interviewers she felt sorry for J.S. and decided to protect him, then said she was scared of J.S.
J.S. told investigators Steward had left his residence at 11 p.m. April 26 and denied sexual contact with her. A search of his house failed to uncover the safe, gun, marijuana or cash.
Later in her interview, Chism said, Steward told investigators she had put the safe into a storage unit April 26. Deputies located and searched the storage unit, finding two safes, 9mm ammunition, drug paraphernalia and 7 pounds of marijuana, among other items.
Surveillance footage from a nearby store revealed a person wearing similar clothes to Steward and driving an identical car pulling up to the storage unit at 12:53 a.m., Chism said. The person walked toward the unit Steward rented and left at 1:10 a.m.
Deputies also spoke to a friend of Steward's, identified as K.W., who said she had asked him to teach her how to use a 9mm pistol, Chism said. Steward admitted to meeting him April 25 and having that conversation but said she never followed through with lessons.
Steward told Chism she had put the safe and marijuana in the storage unit sometime between 10:30-11 a.m. April 26 but denied returning to the unit.
"After Steward confirmed the single occasion, I advised Steward that I knew she was lying because we had obtained footage of her at the storage unit at approximately 1 a.m., just minutes prior to making the 911 call," Chism said.
Steward then asked for a lawyer.
During a final interview with Chism, Steward initially denied being able to open the safe then confirmed she had placed a backpack in the storage unit - a backpack investigators found inside the safe, he said.
"She then said she forgot and explained that she used the keys to put the backpack in the gray safe," Chism added.
The probable cause statement does not say whether the gun used to shoot Grant has been found.
Steward is being held on no bond in the Callaway County Jail.