Marty Grismer Was Reportedly Obsessed With Desiree Sunford — That Obsession Turned Deadly
Desiree Sunford's mother said her daughter's body may be gone, but her memory lives on forever.
Published March 13 2025, 6:57 p.m. ET
Depending on how you look at it, living in a time of social media and the internet can be rewarding or heartbreaking. While it's nice to be able to create memories using a handheld device, sometimes those memories can be painful. There can also be a dystopian feeling to some digital footprints. For example, the LinkedIn profile of Marty Grismer is still up and suggests that he's been at his current job for 12 years. That couldn't be further from the truth.
According to The Seattle Times, Grismer was arrested and charged with murder in November 2014. The then 27-year-old was taken into custody in connection with the death of a middle school teacher named Desiree Sunford. She was killed in her home 19 months before Grismer was accused of murdering her. Where is he now? Here's what we know.
Desiree Sunford in front of a car
Where is Marty Grismer now?
In January 2018, a judge sentenced Grismer to 15 years in prison after he entered an Alford plea for second-degree murder, per the Yakima Herald. Grismer was originally charged with aggravated first-degree murder, but as Yakima County senior deputy prosecutor Troy Clements said, "In this case, it’s not about what we believe, but what we can prove." He is serving his time at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Wash.
The state believed that Grismer killed Desiree to keep her from discovering that her husband might have impregnated another woman. They were thrown a curveball when a cellmate of Grismer's came forward to say that he heard something different.
Per this other inmate, Grismer was obsessed with Desiree, so much so that he even bought her a car. This reported obsession caused Grismer to kill Desiree so he could frame her husband.
The cellmate later said he had made the story up.
What happened to Desiree Sunford?
In April 2013, Desiree was shot to death in her home in Moxee, Wash. A little over a year into the investigation of her murder, Yakima County deputies received a call from a man who said he found gun parts in the office of a previous employee, reported KIMA. Grismer was that worker. This was in October 2014.
Police were already looking into Grismer after a woman came forward in July 2014, claiming she was Desiree's husband's mistress. This woman further alleged that she had been pregnant with Scott's baby and was friends with Grismer, who knew everything.
She told Grismer that Desiree would never accept the pregnancy. The mistress also told police that Grismer was "infatuated" with her but had no idea he was involved in the killing until he confessed to her.
Grismer was arrested after police were able to match the gun parts to evidence from the crime scene. Although there was no trial, Grismer still had to sit through victim impact statements from Desiree's family.
Connie Kast, Desiree's mother, spoke about the relentless pain she felt since losing her daughter, per KNDU. Connie said that while Grismer destroyed her body, "her memory goes on in the hearts of those who loved her."