Phoenix Blog

only in maricopa county, can this happen, it is not isolated case by any means, the mormons sticking together, nothing but a f---cult! what will they say when the truth comes out,?? how will they live with themselves, I hope every time they lay their head on their pillow they think of him in a prison. The threat to society, yep every calorie counter is a bad person. Wont bother ole andy he's just chalking up the votes.
The hausner case is a open and shut but how much money is being spent and how many months of trial, how much did the proseutors office spend on this trial?? to grand stand and show he is protecting the public and hard on crime, it is like a television ad we are paying for!! They could have saved us alot of money but he wanted a big public ta do, all at our expense.
POST the cops name here, actually this doesnt set presisence as it is the norm in Maricopa County. read Jingle Jangle how this county is breading grounds for curopt detectives cops, prosecutors and still goes on.!!!1 DOGJ DOJ !!!!

justice is elusive in Maricopa County. How many guilty people once they are sentenced cry, very sad, some day they will get theres the little hitlers of maricopa county---

UP yours Rubin

my family says you hung out with his family throughout the whole case....

maybe you should tell your writers you like to hang out with murderers.

Austin Stradling
"Faylene's oldest"

yeah Austin, hes a real murderer..thats why she wrote several suicide letters, there was little to no conclusive evidence to convict, and even the medical examiner isnt sure. Could it be spite, revenge, and otehr alterior motives that the family seeks rather than justice? maybe im the only one who thinks this way, but unless it was a slam dunk case i know my conscience wouldnt sit well with me if i was happy that a potentially wrongfully convicted man was sent to prison. (better than joes jails though, where inmate deaths seem to be a weekly occurance). that said, i hope the family is thrilled and their vengence for him marrying again so quickly is fullfilled...nice of you to support a cop lying his ass off to get a promotion rather than the truth by the way....real stand up...

What a difference between the Republic's news article and the New Times. I'm of the LDS faith and must admit I rolled my eyes when I read the sketchy details on Az Central Wednesday. Slam dunk, sez me. Guilty guilty guilty. Then I went to the New Times and spent a good part of the evening reading Paul Rubin's coverage of the whole situation. Sy Ray is a bad man, a very bad man.

Hey judge is a joke.... I usually don't reply to people on here, but I think I'm going to start with you.

Listen, I do care about my mom. But by showing up in court doesn't make a difference, my mother wants me to enjoy life, and be the best I can. The courtroom is nothing but negativity. I DO know in my heart that he did do this to my mom..... And no I'm not too fried and faded to read my mother's letters, I could smoke 4 pounds of pot and read straighter than your ass.....

Right now I live in San Diego, California and have bills, school, and loads of obligation..... My sister lost all of her credits at BYU from this case, by having to testify, etc.

And since you used profanity, great I can play that game too. Don't you motherfucking talk like you know what's up, I spent the last 8 years of my life knowing that he DID do it, HE's GUILTY of manslaughter, GET OVER IT. The Eaves (MY FAMILY) did NOTHING, this wasn't the Eaves vs. Grant, it was the State of dry card-board Hotter than my seatbelt in the Nazi Arizona sun vs. Grant.... I cared about my mom the most by NOT showing up for that fanitical religous mockery circus festival court hearing.

So you can take my "drug talk" and/or profantiy and start shit, stir things up because you prob live in AZ and are a fanactic but don't count on a reply again, because YOU were talking about my MOM, called me fried/faded, and told me I didn't care since I didn't show up. FUCK YOU

..why is there always an excuse----religion, unfair jury, bad judge, crooked cops-take personal responsibility for actions-leave the kids out of it and face the consequences for actions!!

I completely agree with Bystander on BOTH posts. Austin, your choice of how to handle this tragedy is nobody's business. Don't worry about what people say. You may face a lot of contentious people try to rope you into a power struggle for a verbal battle. But, stay out of the ring, Dude. There's a whole bunch of us willing to fight it for ya. Be there for those little brothers, and make peace wherever you go. That's how your mom would want it.
Take care.

This has been a very interesting story for me because I never knew Grant but have had lots of coversations with people on both sides of this case. When Falene died I was told her friends immediately knew she had been murdered because she had told one of them when they went to visit her that she thought Doug had pushed her. they went to the DA and begged them to look further into this case. It wasn't another "mormon conspiracy" I know a Dr. that dealt with him personally and he feels sure he was guilty. My point is this: obviously it wasn't just one "lying cop" and the argument that he couldn't do this because he loves his parents is about the lamest thing I've heard in his defense. Just about every murderer has a family member or friend that would stand up and defend them but the fact is a person can have good in them and still do very evil things. Personally I don't buy his story. He had enough knowledge(his back ground in the medical profession) to know you don't give a person with head injuries drugs(procured from his friend with out a prescription)and leave her alone in the bath tub. duh.

I am sorry for Austin and his sister and family. I am sorry for Doug's mother and family because their hearts are broken too. When you have children you never dream that anything like this could happen. Austin is right. His mother WOULD NOT want him to have to experience that very public trial, when he lived with the nightmare everyday and still is living it. What loving mother would ever wish this on her children? It has literally consumed his life. How could it not? How horrible for Faylene's children to have to grow up with this hanging over their heads Can you imagine? I cannot. I work for the courts. I have for 20 years. I know the system inside out and i know that nobdy wins in these matters. NOBODY. It is a circus, especially when you have a high profile case like this was. When I heard about it years ago I knew in my heart that Doug did it and I was sick for the kids because they were the ones who lost the most. I don't know Faylene or her family but I am as mormon as you can get. Mormons value family above all. A mother's love is the most important thing you can give a child. I know that the religous conotations that were attached to this case, those letters, all of it was nothing but sensational garbage and lies. Mormons do not believe in suicide. It is a sin to kill yourself. The God I love does not appear to us and tell us to kill ourselves so that someone else can take your place and raise your children and live with your husband. She was obviously devout and spiritual,but she was also obviously troubled and she was manipulated by a master. A man so vile that he saw her weaknesses and delusions and built upon them and used them for his own evil plot. He is a liar, a murderer and a child abuser. What worse form of abuse than to kill your children's mother? Oh he will pay according to the laws of this land but he is facing much worse on the other side. But what punishment is ever going to make anyone feel better? There is nothing to be done about her death. Nothing is going to change. Nothing can fix this one folks. People can only hide behind their religion for so long In the end we all will have to face the music. I hope that all of the excitement about this awful tragedy will quickly fade so that Austin and his family can again have privacy so they can grieve in private, so they can heal in private and so they can go on with their lives and look forward to the day, a lifetime away, when they look upon their mother's face and tell her they love her. Leave this be. Let it go. I am half ashamed of myself for this blog because it isn't my business or anyone's business. Those who have suffered through this deserve their privacy. They deserve their own time to deal with this without anyone's comments or opinions. They are the only ones who know how they feel and we should leave them alone and offer prayers for blessings upon their lives. I hope you have a good life Austin. I am sorry for your loss. I cannot know what you have endured bedause I have never experienced loss like this. I knew Doug and his family, went to school with his brother and sister, so I guess I feel like that justifies my butting in. I am so sorry that you had to deal with this. It is so sad.

I knew Faylene and Doug before they got married and I know Faylene would NEVER kill herself knowing she would never be with her kids again!!!! Doug is GUILTY.

I know with out a doubt that Doug is innocent. Faylene was very sick, beyond what anyone realized. Her own parents, sisters, & family are just as much to blame for what happened. Some day they will pay a price for all they have done to their own grandkids. I will always love and support Doug and fight for his innocence any way I can. I know he is NOT GUILTY.

Juan Martinez should be applauded. He is one awesome prosecutor. I didn't think they would get a conviction in a million years, but he did it.

After watching the 20/20 version of the Doug Grant case, it certainly left a nasty tone about Mormons. As a Latter-day Saint, I found the story of Grant full of many flaws. For one, he testified that following his tryst with Hilary and the phone conversation with Faylene, he went to the Temple. I find that part of his story ridiculous because he would have had to have had a bishop's "recommend" to get passed the front door of any Mormon temple. To receive the "recommend" (a signed "license"), Grant would have had to have been "worthy" morally, which he admitted he was not. Obviously, Faylene divorced Grant for his previous immorality during their marriage, and it stands to reason that after that he would have either been excommunicated or at the very least disfellowshipped, which in both instances would have resulted in his forfeiture of his temple recommend, if he had had one in the first place. Being a member of the LDS Church does not automatically provide access to any Mormon temple. One must undergo a very detailed interview by both one's local bishop and stake president. I cannot believe Grant did either. In addition, I found his alligator tears on camera worthy of an Academy Award performance. Likewise, Faylene and Hilary came across as complete kooks. I hope no one judges Mormonism by their behaviors and beliefs, which in no way represent what the Mormon Church teaches. I find the radicals in Colorado City more credible and believable than any of those connected with this case.

I went to school with this spoiled brat. He was an ass in school and is a bigger one for what he did. If he was tried is Graham County where he is from he would not have been convicted at all. All those Mormons stick together.

The defense attorney, Mel McDonald, literally took years off his own life in trying this case. His dedication to this client was superhuman. The 20/20 piece was limited by time. Given that limitation, they couldn't possibly explore the myriad ways in which the prosecutor and judge seemingly colluded to hamstring the defense. The procedural and judicial details of this case, if reviewed in an objective milieu, would almost certainly rise to the level of criminal malfeasance.

The outcome for all involved has been tragic; the outcome for citizens of Arizona is nothing short of catastrophic. History will look upon this era of malignant prosecutorial misconduct and deliberate judicial indifference with unflinching disdain. When the pendulum swings back toward individual liberties and presumption of innocence these men and women will likely be exposed as criminals. The defense of, "I was only following orders, working within the system, etc…" has historically rung hollow.

If the current foray into retroactive criminalization of executive/municipal conduct (Attorney General Holder considering domestic prosecution of Bush administration officials and avowals of cooperation with Spanish courts in criminal prosecution of Bush appointees) is a bell-weather for future events, the detective, the judge and the prosecutor in this case should not delude themselves with anything near to a feeling of security from future legal retribution. But until that pendulum swings back, until an overwhelming ground swell of indignation corrects the system, then each of us will be just one Sy Ray, just one Juan Martinez away from prison.

Unfortunately for all involved in this case even one of the best defense attorneys in Arizona could not overcome the deliberate misconduct of the detectives, the pusilanimous prevaricating of the prosecution and the gigantic judicial tilt of the field.

Talk about clear as mud!
This case in no way is conclusive about ANYTHING. And I think that was what Rubin set out to show in his articles. I don't think his writing was pro- or anti-Doug Grant OR Faylene Grant. He did shake a mighty stick against Ray, and should have made clear that, as Ray himself said, hey, all's fair in obtaining info in an investigation, including lying to suspects. Ray apparently did a lot more than that - anyone thinking lynch cop here? -- and that IS a concern to ALL citizens, guilty or not. I for one wouldn't want that guy representing my neighborhood.

On another note, with regard to posts to the person claiming to be Faylene's eldest son Austin - never good form to respond harshly to a victim's pain. He is entitled to his opinion.

All-in-all, the whole story paints a helluva take on what happens when your life gets a little, uh, "out there." Doesn't take a degree in psychology to diagnose Doug Grant as a MAJOR narcissist. Doesn't mean he's a murderer, but dayum, he sure left himself wide open for speculation. Hedonism and stupidity alone aren't crimes that I know of, but this case makes ya wonder why the hell not.

I'm wondering why I've not yet run across the suggestion that ole Grant didn't plant a lot of Faylene's morbid fascinations. Certainly, history shows us that religions of ALL kinds have fanaticisms, add that to a narcissistic husband and an environment of people who just did not appear to think it odd at all that the whole family is talking about imminent death as if it were in the horoscope section of their newspaper. "Oh, it says here that I'm going to die today. Huh. Hey, honey, how about that neighbor lady you've had your eye on? Think she could step in for me?"

Austin,
Grant changed his story to the police over 10 different times. You speak the truth about him. Its a shame he didn't get 1st degree; because he planned the whole thing.Knowing his lifestyle; you can take pleasure; as I will; that his 4-5 years in prison will not be the best part of his life to say the least. Bubba will be his best friend in prison!Good luck with your future; try to move on the best you can and live a normal life. You'll always have your mom in your heart. Don't let these idiots get to you on this blog; 99% are clueless. We both know different. Sgt Ray knew Grant did it and did what he had to do. You may take pleasure when you read about the libel/slander suit being brought against McDonald and Grant's lackey Russell Cox. Stay tuned! And the worst is yet to come for Grant as he is about to be bankrupted with the civil suit just filed. The burden of proof is much lower; and the fact that one of the aggravators in the sentencing was the emotional and financial strain on the Eaves family is more than enough to ensure he will lose millions in the suit. What goes around comes around Austin and Grant's past actions caught up to him.