HENRY GRANJU - 18 yo - Knoxville TN

An online avalanche continues in the wake of 18-year-old Henry Granju’s death




That includes a shift in attention to a so-called “preliminary
investigation’’ into the case, with mother Katie Allison Granju, a
well-known blogger and public relations professional, again expressing
frustration over the pace of it.




“I am disappointed that since that time, the
Knox County Sheriff's Office chose to release a
statement in response to media coverage of Henry's death in which they
stated that the "preliminary investigation shows no evidence of homicide
as a result of an assault," Granju said on her blog, mamapundit.com.

As of this morning at least 75 blogs have posts about the case, which
is also spreading throughout Twitter and Facebook. Also, a blogger with
first-hand knowledge of the frustrations of a murder investigation
offers some advice.

Here is some of the reaction Michael Silence has found and posted to his blog:

Twittering a mother's nightmare

You think they're blogging about Henry?

More reaction to Henry's death pours

Henry's mother expresses frustration

Some sound advice for the Granju family

An 18-year-old man who died this week had not been beaten with a tire
iron or any other weapon two days before he was admitted to a hospital
after an apparent drug overdose, according to Knox County Sheriff Jimmy
"J.J." Jones.

"Our investigation has shown that this is a simple assault," Jones
said Friday.

In addition, with the death Monday of Henry Louis Granju, there is no
way to prosecute the two people who used fists to beat him, Jones said.

Granju died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The teen
had been undergoing medical treatment since April 27 when he was found
unresponsive in the South Knox County home of an acquaintance.

Granju was the son of Katie Allison Granju, a Knoxville blogger and
director of digital and social media for Ackermann Public Relations. His
father was Chris Granju, director of Knox County's stormwater
management.

Katie Allison Granju has blogged about her son's declining health,
his battle with drugs and subsequent death. She has criticized the
investigation of her son's assault by the
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Knox County Sheriff's Office and urged others
to contact the agency to question its investigative efforts.

"It doesn't matter if you live under a bridge or in the Hamptons, you
still get the same professionalism from our department," Jones said.
"No matter if you blog or don't blog or if you complain on us or don't
complain on us, you'll still get the same professional investigation."

Neither Granju nor her attorney, Don Bosch, returned phone calls
Thursday and Friday.

Henry Granju was taken to UT Medical Center about 11:36 a.m. on April
27 from a home on Tarklin Valley Road. Acquaintances found the teen
unresponsive that morning and called E-911.

The acquaintance, Randall R. Houser, 39, had picked the teen up the
night before at the Bi-Lo market, 2230 W. Governor John Sevier Highway.

Houser told authorities that Henry Granju "appeared to be under the
influence of drugs" when Houser picked him up, according to a KCSO
report. Houser said Granju related that he had been beaten up the day
before while trying to buy drugs. Houser said the only marks he noted on
the teen was a "purple color forming under his left eye," according to a
report.

In her blog, Granju stated her son had been severely beaten with a
tire iron while buying drugs. The sheriff said neither allegation is
true.

"Within days of the alleged assault, interviews were conducted with
the suspects," Jones said.

The sheriff said the alleged assault occurred about 1-2 p.m. April 25
in Vestal. Henry Granju had gone to meet some people and had been
driven around by the assault suspects after being picked up on Drive D
in the Montgomery Village housing project.

"Although drugs were involved, our investigation has revealed he did
not go there to purchase drugs," Jones said.

Jones, noting services for the teen are today, declined to say if
Granju was meeting with the other people to sell them drugs.

Because no weapon was used in the assault on Granju, the attack would
be a misdemeanor offense. With Granju's death, any chance of
prosecuting the two assailants has passed.

"The only way we can charge in this kind of misdemeanor is if it's
witnessed by us or occurs in our presence," Jones said.

"If our investigation had revealed that the individuals responsible
for the alleged assault had committed any chargeable crime, we certainly
would have them in jail and charged now."

Granju stated in her blog entries that she had conducted her own
probe into her son's assault and provided the Sheriff's Office with the
names of those involved.

"The names we got from her were friends of the victim and had only
hearsay knowledge of the assault," Jones said. None of the people
identified by Granju were witnesses, he said.

Granju also criticized the Sheriff's Office for not trying to talk to
her son, although in her blog she noted the teen was incapable of
speaking more than one or two words.

"Our investigator made several attempts to talk to Mr. Granju, and
each time he was denied access," Jones said.

The Granju family said the teen had sustained a skull fracture,
broken ribs, a broken jaw and was bleeding from his ears when he was
admitted to the hospital. The preliminary autopsy findings do not
support those claims.

"No trauma is observed at the time of the autopsy," states the report
from the Knox County Medical Examiner's office.

"Final determination of the cause and manner of death is pending
further investigation and ancillary studies."

Jones said unless the medical examiner links the assault with
Granju's death, he does not foresee the filing of criminal charges.

The family has launched a scholarship fund in Granju's honor to help
fund addiction treatment. Contributions can be made to the Henry Louis
Granju Memorial Scholarship Fund via administrator James Anderson Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, 2000 Meridian Blvd., Suite 290, Franklin, TN
37067.

Henry Granju: Living and dying in the drug world
By Jamie Satterfield
Posted July 30, 2011 at 11 p.m.

Editor's note: Records from the University of Tennessee Medical Center document a bruise, estimated to be about 2 inches in size, on the chest of Henry Granju, an 18-year-old overdose victim. An earlier version story of this story was incorrect in saying medical records did not indicate bruising on his chest. Additionally, statements that Granju stole from relatives to buy drugs were incorrect and have been removed from the story.

Strung out, broke and essentially homeless, this Knox County teenage couple traveled some 200 miles to the tiny town of Bell Buckle, Tenn., searching for a fresh start.

More:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/30/henry-granju-living-and-dying-in-the-drug-world/

It’s Time to Go Fully Public With What Really Happened to My Son, Henry Granju
Posted on March 7, 2011 by katie allison granju
PLEASE READ THESE BLOG POSTS :

It’s Time to Go Fully Public With What Happened to My Son, Henry Granju
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 1
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 2
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 3
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 4
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 5
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 6
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 7
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – PART 8
JUSTICE FOR HENRY – A NOTE
If you are on Twitter (you can follow me at @kgranju), please share a link to this blog post using the hashtag, #justiceforhenry

In the days ahead, I will for the first time be sharing here on my blog every single specific detail of what happened to my teenage son, as well as all the information regarding how authorities have handled the case thus far.

More:
http://mamapundit.com/2011/03/its-time-to-go-fully-public-with-what-really-happened-to-my-son-henry-granju/

Henry's Story: A young man's battle with drug addiction and the family who tried to save him
9:58 AM, Nov 2, 2010
Written by
WBIR.com

On Wednesday, October 27, 2010, WBIR aired Henry's Story. It's the story of a young man whose life was cut short by drug abuse. The special will re-air on Saturday, October 30, at 7:30 pm.

More:
http://www.wbir.com/dontmiss/139771/207/Henrys-Story-A-young-mans-battle-with-drug-addiction-and-the-family-who-tried-to-save-him

A Mommy Blogger Seeks Justice for Her Son
Mar 28, 2011 6:43 PM EDT

Last year, Katie Granju's son, just 18, died of a drug overdose. Now she's using her blog—and the army of moms who hang on her every word—to bring him justice. By K. Emily Bond


If there’s anyone whose bad side you don’t want to be on, it’s a grieving mother devastated by the death of her son, furious that justice isn’t being served, and in possession of an extremely popular blog.

More:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/03/28/henry-granju-a-mommy-blogger-seeks-justice-for-her-son.html

Obituary & Guest Book Preview for Henry Louis Granju

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/knoxnews/obituary-preview.aspx?n=henry-louis-granju&pid=143292162&referrer=1477

Drug charges filed against three people who were interviewed in Henry Granju case
7:57 PM, Sep 21, 2011

Written by
Anthony Welsch

Randall Houser (Courtesy: Knox County Sheriff's Office)
Laurie Pelot Gooch (Courtesy: Knox County Sheriff's Office)
Yolanda Harper (Courtesy: Knox County Sheriff's Office)
Three Knox Countians interviewed by detectives after the death of 18-year-old Henry Granju now face unrelated drug charges and possible jail time.

A Knox County grand jury indicted Yolanda Harper, Randall Houser, and Laurie Gooch for selling drugs. Gooch is the mother of the young woman Henry Granju dated at the time of his death.

More:
http://origin.wbir.com/news/article/184710/2/Drug-charges-filed-against-three-people-who-were-interviewed-in-Henry-Granju-case

Petitioned Sheriff - Knox County, TN
Justice for Henry Granju


by Friends and Family of Henry Granju
Knoxville, TN

http://www.change.org/petitions/justice-for-henry-granju

TIME TO SPEAK OUT: No Judicial Diversion for Laurie Pelot Gooch
Posted on April 12, 2012 by kagranju

LEARN MORE ABOUT HENRY GRANJU’S LASTING LEGACY OF LOVE & HOPE FOR OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH DRUG ADDICTION

UPDATE – June 6, 2012: According to a story in today’s Knoxville News Sentinel, the first judge assigned to sentence Laurie Pelot Gooch on drug trafficking charges has recused himself for reasons allegedly having to do with me (per the newspaper’s headline), but which are actually due to the fact that the judge was working as a prosecutor in Knox County DA Randy Nichols’ office just last year when Laurie Pelot Gooch was to at least some degree a person of interest in the (sloppy, unprofessional, biased) investigation into the drug-induced homicide of my teenager.

More:
http://justiceforhenry.com/

This link contains multiple links to this case.

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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/topic/henry-granju/

mamapundit
motherhood, and all the rest of it.

It’s Official: NBC’s Dateline to Cover Henry’s Case

http://mamapundit.com/2012/01/henry-granju-dateline/