Gang investigator testifies as evidence builds in Andre Grier Murder Trial

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The murder trial of Andre Grier continued Saturday, October 25, inside the Hamilton County Courthouse as prosecutors worked to connect the accused killer to the 2016 murder of Bianca Horton.

Grier, who prosecutors say went by the street name Hollywood, is charged with first-degree murder.

He’s accused of killing Horton before she could testify against Cortez Sims, a member of the Athens Park Bloods gang.

Sims was convicted of a 2015 home invasion that left Talitha Bowman dead and paralyzed Horton’s one-year-old daughter, Zoey.

Prosecutors allege Grier carried out Horton’s murder to silence her before she could take the stand.

They also link him to co-defendants Charles Shelton, who later died in jail from COVID-19, and Courtney High, who pleaded guilty to the same crime in 2024.

Saturday’s testimony centered on gang activity, communication within gang hierarchies, and physical evidence collected during the investigation.

Jurors heard from Jeremy Winbush, a former investigator with the Chattanooga Police Department’s Gang Unit, who described the structure and culture of the Athens Park Bloods.

He explained what membership meant, how ranks were determined, and what type of “consequences” members could face for breaking gang code.

“Usually death. Life or death, or a severe beating… or killed,” Winbush testified when asked about the punishment for defying orders from higher-ranking members.

Lead prosecutor Collin Campbell guided Winbush through photographs, items of evidence, and communications gathered throughout the case.

Among the evidence shown to the jury were images of a firearm, ammunition, and a damaged phone.

“The firearm in that photo,” Winbush said, handling the object presented to the court. “The 9mm ammunition found with the *inaudible. *”

He also spoke about “a smartphone that was found broken and damaged in the kitchen,” explaining that it appeared to have “a replacement screen.”

Prosecutors also highlighted an important discovery, a gate outside Horton’s home that had been cut open.

Winbush testified that investigators later found a pair of bolt cutters inside a residence believed to be connected to Grier.

“The lock that secured the gate that kept people from coming in and out without gated access was cut by what we believe to be bolt cutters,” Winbush told the jury.

Campbell then asked whether those bolt cutters had ever been matched to the lock itself.

“Okay, were these bolt cutters ever matched specifically to that area?” Campbell asked.

“No,” Winbush replied. “To my knowledge, the mechanism that belonged to the lock was discarded, I believe, by maintenance at the apartment complex. So we didn’t have the ability to do a tool mock *inaudible. *.”

Toward the end of the day, the prosecution introduced a handwritten letter known in gang culture as a kite.

The message, written to a fellow gang member, appeared to threaten a witness who might testify.

It read in part: “A blood, I read that affidavit. I would’ve never known you would wack out. And that’s why these folks on a *explicit word* bumper. Not kool you lied to me and got family *explicit word* up in process. I don’t know the mark you become. But if you get on that stand or cooperate any further with these people it’s personal wit us I love you as a brother. Don’t kross the mob. Let by gones be by gones and this paperwork disappear. A patch up.”

Prosecutor Campbell asked Winbush to interpret the note for the jury.

“He’s asking him not to get on that stand or cooperate. Is that correct?” Campbell asked.

“Yes, sir,” Winbush confirmed.

“And that’s identical to what he said in that jail call, correct?”

“Yes,” Winbush answered.

Campbell closed by repeating part of the kite aloud:

“And to let bygones be bygones.”

“Yes, sir,” Winbush said.

The Athens Park Bloods originated in California and later spread to cities across the South, including Chattanooga.

During Horton’s murder, investigators estimate the gang had as many as 100 members operating locally.

Winbush explained to jurors how loyalty, communication, and power within the gang shaped member behavior.

Prosecutors argue that those internal pressures, and the command to prevent testimony, motivated Horton’s murder.

As the state continues presenting its case, Judge Boyd Patterson reminded jurors that the trial will resume Monday morning at 9 a.m.

Prosecutors are expected to continue focusing on connecting Grier’s gang affiliation to Horton’s killing.

Defense attorneys have yet to present their case.