In the quiet suburbs of Sandy, Utah, a dispute on a December morning in 2014 spiraled into a fatal encounter for a 26-year-old Caucasian woman named Candice Melo. Having stayed for about a week at the home of 52-year-old Larry Kent Graff, tensions flared between Melo and Graff's girlfriend over money Melo allegedly owed for her stay. The argument, which took place on December 18, reportedly escalated to include accusations of theft involving money, drugs, and electronics.
The confrontation turned violent when Graff became involved, brandishing a firearm.
As Melo and her boyfriend, Michael Grimsley, attempted to flee the residence, Melo grabbed a laptop. Graff pursued them into the driveway and opened fire. Melo was struck three times, with gunshot wounds to her head, hip, and lower back. Graff also fired a shot at Grimsley, who managed to escape unharmed by pretending to have been hit. When police arrived at the chaotic scene, Graff immediately admitted to the shooting. Melo was found lying in the driveway, and for a critical period, first responders believed she was already deceased and delayed medical treatment. It was only after an officer noticed movement that paramedics were urgently recalled to the scene. Tragically, about nine hours after being shot, Candice Melo died from her injuries at a local hospital.
The investigation that followed brought Larry Kent Graff before the justice system, where he was initially charged with first-degree murder for Melo's death and attempted murder for firing at her boyfriend. During the trial, Graff's defense argued that while he was responsible for the shooting, Melo's death was ultimately caused by the significant delay in medical care she received at the scene. They contended that the gunshot wound to her head might have been survivable had she been treated promptly.
Ultimately, a jury acquitted Graff of the murder charge, opting instead to convict him of the lesser offense of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. The jury could not reach a verdict on the attempted murder charge. For his role in the death of Candice Melo, Larry Kent Graff was sentenced to a term of one to fifteen years in state prison. The tragic event, which occurred just a day before Melo's 27th birthday, left her family devastated, particularly her young daughter who was left without a mother.
