Grier gets sentenced to 62 more years in prison for murder of Bianca Horton
Andre Grier walking into his sentencing hearing on Monday.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Chattanooga gang member who was convicted in the 2016 murder of a mother was back in court Monday morning.
Back in October Andre Grier was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2016 killing of Bianca Horton.
He was facing the death penalty for that case.
However, an Anderson County jury elected to give him a life with parole.
However, on Monday, he was sentenced on other charges in that case that would determine whether or not he would have any shot at all potentially of seeing the outside world again.
Andre Grier was sentenced to 62 more years in prison on four different counts that is added to his life with parole in the murder of Horton by Hamilton County Judge Boyd Patterson.
She had been planning to testify in a shooting case against Athens Park Bloods gang member Cortez Sims that left her one year old baby daughter Zoey hospitalized.
Prosecutors convinced the jury that Grier, as a leader of the Athens Park Bloods gang, had ordered the hit on Horton to prevent her from testifying against Sims.
On Monday, two members of the Chattanooga Police Department described the chilling effect on witness cooperation this has had on the community.
Hannah Walling, who works in the Chattanooga Police Department’s Victim Services Unit, said, “We see the ongoing ripple effects of her death. It is not uncommon that I’ve talked to individuals who knew her directly or have heard about what happened to her and as a result are fearful to participate in the process.”
A homicide investigator, Taylor Walker, added, “As recently as last year, there were two different witnesses involved in an incident that specifically referenced Bianca’s name.”
Additionally, a Hamilton County Corrections Deputy detailed a search of Grier’s jail cell last year, detailing a significant amount of contraband.
This included a dozen shanks, two cell phones, and a homemade key, which inmates are not allowed to have.
Deputy Trenton Stockwell said, “Inmates have died at our institution as recently as last year due to jail made weapons. He was in possession of 12 of those which could have armed every single member of his gang on the top tier.”
Grier’s attorney, Kit Rogers, argued that he wouldn’t be getting out of prison with just the life without parole sentence, and that adding on additional time is overkill.
Rogers said, “The jury gave him a sentence. Anything that you add to it has zero effect outside of a number on a piece of paper and possibly a sound bite.”
Prosecutors argued that the extra sentence would send a message.
Prosecutor Cameron Williams argued, “We are not afraid of you and if you commit these acts, if you commit these crimes then in this county, you’re gonna get the maximum penalty that you can get.”
Judge Patterson added that the whole situation is a result of “permanent consequences from temporary emotions” and a “glorification of death by gang culture.”
He told Grier after giving him the maximum sentence that, “May God have mercy on your soul.”
The new combined sentence is 113 years with parole, meaning that effectively Grier will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
