Family of Slain Nursing Student Sues Property Manager for $65M Over Fatal Roommate Stabbing

Tamilore Odunsi

The family of Elizabeth "Tami" Odunsi, a 23-year-old nursing student from the United Kingdom who was allegedly stabbed 24 times by her roommate in Houston, has filed a $65 million lawsuit against the property management company that placed them together, accusing it of gross negligence and failure to act on warning signs.

Chester Lamar Grant, 40, is charged with murder in the April 26 killing of Odunsi at the apartment they shared. The civil suit, filed Monday, names Grant, property management firm For A Place To Live LLC, and background screening company SafeRent Solutions as defendants. Odunsi’s family alleges that the companies failed to screen Grant adequately and ignored repeated pleas from Odunsi expressing concern for her safety.

Odunsi, who was set to graduate from nursing school days later, had contacted the management company to raise alarm over Grant’s increasingly aggressive behavior. She had previously called the police after Grant allegedly poured liquid on her face and knocked her phone from her hand during a dispute over their cats. Officers declined to arrest Grant at the time.

The lawsuit claims that For A Place To Live scheduled a Zoom meeting for April 26 to discuss Odunsi’s concerns—but abruptly canceled it just two hours before it was due. That same day, Odunsi completed her final clinical rotation and returned home, asking her parents, John and Adenike Odunsi, to stay on the phone with her as she entered the apartment.

Moments later, they heard their daughter scream for help before the call abruptly ended.

A family friend in Houston was dispatched to check on Odunsi and contacted police. Responding officers discovered her lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, covered in blood, with more than two dozen stab wounds. Grant, who allegedly attempted suicide following the attack, survived and remains in custody at the Harris County Jail.

Attorneys Troy J. Pradia and Jonathan H. Cox, representing the Odunsi family, argue that the property company should never have approved Grant’s lease application. Public records revealed he had prior domestic violence convictions—information the lawsuit says should have disqualified him as a roommate. According to the complaint, SafeRent Solutions, which conducted Grant’s background check, failed to flag his violent history.

“This meeting could have saved her life,” Cox said, criticizing the property company’s decision to cancel the Zoom session. “They ignored her warnings, they ignored the red flags, and they put her in harm’s way.”

At a press conference, Pradia said his office was able to uncover Grant’s criminal history with a simple online search, emphasizing the ease with which the danger could have been identified.

The Odunsi family, who traveled from the U.K. for the legal proceedings, expressed their grief and frustration.

“She did everything right, but no one listened to my daughter,” said Adenike Odunsi, holding back tears. “She was so close to graduating and starting her dream career as a nurse. This should have been a time of celebration.”

Known on TikTok as "Tami Dollars" or "TD," Odunsi was described as a vibrant and compassionate young woman who was deeply involved in her church and aspired to work with children in her nursing career. A GoFundMe page created by former classmates calls her a “beautiful soul full of light, ambition, and kindness.”

The lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants accountable for what Odunsi’s family calls an entirely preventable tragedy.