In the late hours of September 25, 2016, a promising life was tragically cut short on a downtown Nashville sidewalk. Teddy Grasset, a 30-year-old French man and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based vintage denim brand Dr. Collectors, was visiting the city with a friend. What began as a creative sourcing trip for his brand ended in a senseless act of violence that left a vibrant community in mourning.
While walking near the Country Music Hall of Fame with his friend, Larry Niehues, a
silver Chevrolet Impala slowed and two men emerged from the vehicle. In what police believe was an attempted robbery, the two friends fled in opposite directions. As Grasset ran, one of the assailants opened fire, striking him in the chest. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. Niehues was unharmed but was left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of his friend.
The investigation into the murder of Teddy Grasset quickly gained momentum as Nashville authorities worked to bring those responsible to justice. Within a month of the fatal shooting, two suspects, Andy Nunez, 22, and Daniela Cruz, 20, were apprehended in Raleigh, North Carolina. A third suspect, Joseph Santillan, 25, remained at large but was eventually captured.
The subsequent legal proceedings revealed the roles each individual played in the tragic event. Daniela Cruz, who was the driver of the Impala, cooperated with prosecutors and testified against her co-conspirators. In November 2018, a jury found both Andy Nunez and Joseph Santillan guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, and aggravated robbery. For their roles in the death of Teddy Grasset, both men were sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for at least 51 years, bringing a measure of closure to a case that had shaken both the local Nashville community and the international fashion world.
