In the winter of 2019, the life of Grant Thomas Saul, a 24-year-old White/Caucasian male from Waterloo, Iowa, was tragically cut short. On the evening of December 4th, at approximately 9:17 p.m., Cedar Falls Police were dispatched to an apartment at 112 Main Street following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Grant Saul inside, deceased from gunshot wounds.
The suspect or suspects had already fled the scene.
Grant, born on February 4, 1995, was a 2013 graduate of Waterloo West High School. He had a passion for art and was channeling that creativity into studying to become a tattoo artist while working for Modern Painting, Inc. A gifted artist, he also enjoyed writing, recording, and producing hip-hop music for himself and others. Known for his love of family and friends, Grant often spent his time playing disc golf, shooting hoops, and had previously played hockey for the Waterloo Junior Hawks and Waterloo Warriors.
The investigation into Grant’s death continued for two years. In December 2021, the Cedar Falls Police Department announced significant progress, charging 20-year-old Keyon Roby and 22-year-old James Wright-Buls with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the fatal shooting. At the time the charges were filed, both men were already inmates at the Black Hawk County Jail on other matters.
Court proceedings revealed that Roby had planned what he described as an "easy robbery." He and Wright-Buls, along with another accomplice, went to Grant's apartment where the confrontation turned deadly. An autopsy confirmed that Grant sustained multiple gunshot wounds, with the fatal shot striking his chest, hitting his left lung and aorta. Evidence presented during the legal proceedings included three shell casings found in the apartment that matched the 9mm handgun used in the crime. Following a trial, Keyon Roby was convicted of murder and robbery for his role in Grant Saul's death on March 4, 2022.
