The Murder of Linda Damm
For this case, I watched an episode of Wicked Attraction. It’s season 5 episode 8, titled ‘The Body Shifters.’
The mother of a teenage girl is found dead in her home.
Background
Linda Damm lived in Lafayette, Colorado, with her daughter Tess, who was 15 at the time. Tess’ 17-year-old boyfriend, Bryan Grove, had also moved in with them for awhile.
There wasn’t a lot of information revealed about Linda, except that she and Tess didn't have the best relationship. Linda was known to drink, and was even referred to as an alcoholic. Linda would often blame her drinking on her daughter’s behavior. Linda didn’t approve of Tess and Bryan’s relationship, but let Bryan move in, in hopes that she could change her daughter’s rebellious behavior.
Linda Damm
Teenage Love
Bryan and Tess met at a Halloween party in 2006. They soon started dating, and became infatuated with each other.
Bryan had finished high school a year early. He moved out of his adoptive parents home, and into a condo with a roommate. Tess was always there, and when they weren't together, they were communicating through MySpace.
Bryan felt as if he never fit in. He was adopted from India at a young age, and moved to Colorado with his new family. Bryan was bullied, and by high school, his moods were unpredictable. The police had been called once after he had a fight with his mom. Bryan told the police that he had just gotten angry and was sorry. The police took this as everything was okay, and left.
Bryan and Tess’ relationship was as serious as it could be at their ages. The relationship was a lot to handle for Linda, who was very protective of Tess. Linda learned that Tess was skipping school, and had even reported her as a runaway, when Tess was out all night at Bryan’s.
Linda thought she could reign in Tess, and invited Bryan to move in with them. Bryan and Tess didn’t want to deal with her, and soon began to plot her murder.
The Breaking Point
Bryan and Tess openly talked about wanting Linda dead. They told anyone that would listen, including their friends, Jared Guy and Jared Smith. Bryan and Tess said that they would earn some money if they sold the house and got their hands on Linda’s life insurance policy.
In February 2007, Tess, Bryan and their friend, were out at a restaurant. Linda called Tess several times, and that’s when they decided that was the night Linda had to go.
When they arrived back at the Damm home, Bryan told Tess and Jared (Guy) to drive around. Tess thought it would only take a few minutes, but Bryan didn’t contact her. Tess decided that they needed to go back to the house. When they arrived, Linda was dead. Bryan had stabbed her with a switchblade and kitchen knife.
The three then began to worry about what they were going to do with Linda’s body. They eventually decided to Linda’s body in the trunk, watch a movie and get high.
Decisions, Decisions
Over the next few days, the teen killers talked about what to do with Linda’s body.
Bryan decided to call his other friend Jared, to help him. The two attempted to take Linda to the local landfill, but the car got stuck in the mud, so they abandoned that plan.
They then decided to take Linda’s body to a local cemetery. It was a February night in Colorado, so the ground was frozen solid. They were only able to dig a shallow grave. They left the body there, but soon went back to retrieve it.
Linda’s body was eventually left in the trunk. Tess and Bryan lived in her home, threw parties, and used her debit card. They fought often, and were in fear of what would happen to them.
The Anonymous Tip
Weeks passed after the murder, and everyone seemed to be suspicious of where Linda had gone. Friends of Tess and Bryan would ask Tess where her mom was. Tess would tell them that she was probably getting drunk somewhere.
Bryan’s dad even visited the house several times. Tess just always told him that Linda would be home later. The guilt seemed to be really getting to them, and they eventually confessed to close friends. Bryan also wrote this entry on his blog:
“I did things that I shouldn’t have, with my two hands, I just want to drink a barrel of cyanide, to make this pain go away.
”
One friend sent in an anonymous tip to the police. The tipster didn't give the police the exact address, but did give them directions to the Damm home.
The police didn't have a search warrant for the garage, but Tess, Bryan and Jared were all taken to the police station.
The Confession and Arrests
Tess told the police that she hadn't seen her mom in weeks, but Bryan told the police that he would confess if they let him see Tess. Tess was let into the interrogation room, and in the episode, you can see them hugging and embracing each other.
Bryan admitted that he grabbed Linda by the neck, and put her up against the wall. He then grabbed a switchblade, which got lost in her neck as he stabbed her. Bryan then ran downstairs, grabbed a kitchen knife, and stabbed Linda until she died.
A search warrant was obtained for the Damm home. On February 28, 2007, the badly decomposed body of Linda Damm was found in the trunk of her car.
Linda’s autopsy showed that she had been stabbed 18 times, despite Bryan saying he only stabbed her 4 times.
Bryan and Tess were both arrested for murder. Tess told the police that their friends Jared Guy and Jared Smith were both involved.
The Convictions
Bryan Grove was charged with first degree murder and conspiracy. He eventually pled guilty to second degree murder, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He’ll be eligible for parole in 2036.
Tess Damm took a plea deal. She pled guilty as a juvenile to second degree murder, and as an adult to solicitation to commit second degree murder. She was sentenced to 5 years in the state juvenile system and 18 years in state prison.
Jared Guy agreed to testify against the couple. Jared said that Bryan told him that he had killed Linda in self defense, because she had been chasing Tess around the home. He pled guilty to felony tampering, for helping dispose of the body. He was sentenced to 6 months of work release, 6 months of electronic surveillance and three years probation.
Jared Smith was sentenced to two years in juvenile detention and 6 months of parole. He had helped Bryan put Linda in the trunk of her car.
Tess Damm, Bryan Grove, Jared Smith and Jared Guy
Other
In April 2019, Tess Damm was released on parole after serving more than 10 years in prison.
Tess wrote to the parole board that she was “drastically different.” She had always blamed Linda for abusing and neglecting her, which is why she asked Bryan to kill her.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Maybe she wasn't the best mom, and maybe she did have problems with alcohol, but she didn’t deserve to be brutally killed. It’s easy to assume that maybe she was a horrible mom, and maybe everything that Tess said was true, but we don’t know. Tess still asked her boyfriend to kill her mom, and two of their other friends went along with it. They all ruined their lives, but due to their ages, they will have a second chance to turn their lives around.
Sources
https://www.postindependent.com/news/front-range-teen-gets-23-years-for-killing-mother/
https://www.denverpost.com/2007/03/06/teens-tried-to-hide-moms-body/
https://www.coloradodaily.com/2009/07/31/teen-convicted-in-damm-homicide-to-be-released/
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1597801,00.html
