The Murder of John Grachek
For this case, I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 27 episode 6.
A 45-year-old man is shot in his home.
Background
John Grachek was born 1967, in the small town of Fremont, Ohio. He was the oldest of 6 kids, and was very close to his family.
In 1990, John started his own plumbing business at just 23-years-old. He was described as an avid outdoorsman, and had a large booming laugh.
Relationship History
John had been married to his first wife, Sylvia, for 13 years. Together, they had 2 daughters and 1 son. Sylvia managed John’s plumbing business, and stayed home with kids. The marriage ended amicably, and the two remained good friends.
By 2004, John met a woman named Jamie Ballweg. Jamie was younger, but they got along really well. Jamie had three children of her own, and John loved them.
John and Jamie got married, had 2 children, and were together until about 2011. John was the only one working, and bringing in money. He wasn’t happy about the marriage anymore, and the two separated. John filed for divorce in the spring of 2012.
Just a few months after the separation, John met a woman named Nicole Price. The two met at a bar, and soon moved in together. Many described John as the happiest he’d ever been.
The 911 Call
On March 31, 2013, Nicole and John had spent Easter together. Nicole described it as a normal day. They went shopping, and were visited by Nicole’s oldest son.
Around 10:30pm, Nicole called 911. A man could be heard in the call saying “call the police.” Several gunshots rang out, and could be heard on the call. The Riverside, Ohio police arrived just a few minutes later.
When they arrived, John was lying on the ground in the front lawn. He was still awake, but had been shot once in the chest, and once in the thigh. Nicole was telling John that it would be okay, but the police thought otherwise. John was rushed to a trauma unit, where he succumbed to his injuries. The gunshot to his chest had nicked his lung, and pierced his heart on both sides.
Inside the home, there had been a struggle. The living room was in disarray, and there were bullet holes in the wall and closet.
Nicole’s Story
The police’s first theory was that this was a robbery gone wrong. They questioned Nicole, because she had seen the entire incident.
Nicole went through the timeline of their evening. She said John was on the couch, and she was in the kitchen, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Nicole said a man she didn’t recognize was on the other side, and he had a gun.
John was a big guy, and had been trying to protect Nicole. Nicole ran to call 911, heard the scuffle, and then heard the gunshots.
After the gunshots, the man ran from the house, followed by another shorter man. John chased after them, but collapsed in the front lawn.
Nicole described the shooter as taller than his accomplice. She said he had a buzzed haircut, and that the other man was shorter, but she didn't see anything else because he was running away.
Nicole didn’t believe that it was a robbery because they hadn’t taken anything, and hadn’t demanded anything either.
The Identification
The police were able to learn from several neighbors that the two men had fled to a getaway car. The getaway car was driven by a woman, and was described as a noisy dark colored vehicle.
A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for the getaway car. A patrol officer was out, and saw a noisy dark colored car roll through a stop sign. The officer performed a traffic stop.
Inside the car was a woman and two males. The police put the three suspects into separate squad cars, and drove them back to John and Nicole’s.
Nicole was able to identify the taller male as the shooter. When they took her to the car where the female was being held, she recognized her as Jamie Grachek, John’s ex-wife. The two males were identified as Gary Webb and Jacob Gipson.
The three suspects were taken into the police station.
Changing Stories
The police questioned Gary first. Gary had been on parole at the time for aggravated burglary.
Gary said he was at the wrong place at the wrong time that night. The police confronted Gary, and said that John was dead. All Gary could say was “holy shit.”
Gary said that Jamie and Jacob were dating, and the three of them went to John’s to get heroin. The police looked into this, and determined that John didn’t use or sell drugs.
Gary said that Jacob was the shooter, but Jacob said it was Gary. The police knew from Nicole that Jacob’s story was more truthful, as she had witnessed everything. But, both Gary and Jacob said they didn’t know where the gun went.
Jamie was questioned next, and was also told that John was dead. Jamie’s reaction was very dramatic. Jamie cried, but there were no tears.
Jamie told the police that the three of them had been planning to rob someone that night. At first, they went to Dayton to rob a drug dealer, but this person didn’t have money. Jamie told Gary and Jacob that John had his own business, and often had money on him. Jamie said that the three of them had planned to split the money.
Jamie said she didn’t know that anyone had a gun, and murder wasn’t part of their plan.
On April 1, 2013, Jamie, Gary and Jacob were all arrested and charged with murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and felonious assault.
The Motive
The police learned through Nicole that this was the first incident involving Jamie.
Jamie started harassing them. First, she would call John until he changed his number. Then, she reached out to him on Facebook, and would make fake profiles when he blocked her.
Nicole told them that Jamie’s true motive was the custody battle. Jamie had lost custody of her children, and John was set to win full custody. The last hearing was scheduled for April 8, 2013, just 8 days after John’s murder.
The children had been sent to temporary foster care. John and Nicole visited them everyday. They were set to move in with them on April 9.
Jamie was doing drugs, and completely devastated that John was going to win full custody of the kids. Jamie had threatened to kill John, and it seemed as if she went through with her threats.
The Plea Deals
On April 9, 2014, Gary Webb pled guilty to murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 18 years to life.
Before Jamie’s trial, Jacob had agreed to testify against her. Jamie caught wind of this, and agreed to a plea deal. In November 2014, Jamie pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, complicity to commit aggravated burglary and aggravated burglary. She was sentenced to 21 years.
Jacob Gipson was sentenced to 15 years to life.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think Jamie felt rejected and jealous that John was moving on with Nicole. Jamie claims she was heartbroken about losing her children, but she wasn’t thinking about them when she planned for her accomplices to rob and kill John. Gary and Jacob wanted money, and agreed to take John’s life. Now, the children will grow up without a dad or a mom. I hope that if Jamie does get out, she won’t be able to convince her children to have a relationship with her. That of course, is their choice. But, she’s toxic, and deserves to be in prison for as long as possible.
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