REPORT: Man With History Of Domestic Violence Allegedly Stabs Woman. Company Paired Them Up As Roommates Randomly

A Houston man with a history of domestic violence allegedly fatally stabbed his female roommate on April 26, ABC 13 reported.

Houston Police Department (HPD) officers responded to to an apartment complex for a wellness check and, upon arrival, discovered blood on the back patio, according to a HPD press release. Police allegedly found Elizabeth Odunsi, 23, on the kitchen floor with multiple stab injuries and Houston Fire Department paramedics declared her dead on-scene.

Police then discovered 40-year-old Chester Lamar Grant, in a bedroom of the apartment with at least one stab injury, according to the HPD. Authorities took the alleged assailant to the hospital in critical condition. Investigators believe it may have been self-inflicted, ABC 13 reported.

Grant was determined to be Odunsi’s roommate and the suspect in her murder, according to the HPD. The pair resided at an off-site student housing quadplex, ABC 13 reported. Odunsi was expected to graduate just a few days after her death with a nursing degree from Texas Women’s University, the institution’s website said.

Grant was a student at Fordham University, a magistrate said. (RELATED: ‘I’m Going To Kill You Bitch’: Argument Over Cats Ends With Man Allegedly Shooting Roommate 10 Times)

He was later arrested on May 2 and inmate records show he was charged with murder.

Roommate stabbed woman 28 times after fight over cat, records say https://t.co/ClpTujb8PR

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) May 6, 2025

A magistrate said in probable cause court that the roommates had a dispute over Grant’s cat.

Just hours before Odunsi was discovered, officers were present for a fight between the pair, people residing in the complex told ABC 13. The HPD confirmed to the outlet that they had been to the quadplex multiple times before.

It was revealed in court that Grant had previously been arrested and convicted of domestic violence several times in Washington state, including an incident in 2023, the outlet reported.

Single rooms at the complex were reportedly rented out via GoForth by “For a Place to Live” with roommates randomly chosen.

For a Place to Live is “responsible for finding your roommate” and do their “best to find a good match,” according to its website.

“We don’t use any criteria to match roommate compatibility to place roommates,” the company’s FAQ page reads. “We run the background check for each applicant. If the applicant has questionable items in the background that we think are not a fit for a shared house, we asked that they get a private unit.”

For a Place to Live’s landlord issued a statement to ABC 13.

“Both Ms. Odunsi and Chester Grant had background checks performed on them by SafeRent Solutions. Nothing in the results showed any indication that Chester Grant had any previous issues or a history of violence,” the landlord told the outlet. “Please know that we are deeply saddened and disturbed by what has occurred.”