In the late hours of a March evening in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a burst of violence shattered the quiet of a residence, leaving 30-year-old Ryan C. Grandi fatally wounded. On March 1, 2017, two local men, Nicholas R. Fairbank, then 20, and Steffon R. Swader, then 18, forced their way into Grandi's home in the east part of the city. During the burglary, Ryan C.
Grandi, a male, was shot.
In a strange turn of events following the shooting, Fairbank and Swader transported Grandi to a local hospital. However, their intentions were not of mercy but of evasion. As soon as emergency personnel took charge of Grandi from their vehicle, the two men fled the scene, leaving behind the man they had just shot. Their attempt to disappear into the night was short-lived.
The subsequent investigation led by the authorities quickly identified Fairbank and Swader as the primary suspects. Both men were apprehended and faced a litany of serious charges. These included second-degree murder for their role in Grandi’s death, as well as armed criminal action, tampering with physical evidence, and first-degree burglary. Fairbank faced an additional charge for unlawful possession of a firearm. While both men denied being the one to pull the trigger, they faced the possibility of life in prison if convicted for their involvement in the fatal home invasion.
