Gina Grant
Encyclopedia
Gina Grant is an American
woman who gained notoriety for receiving early admission to Harvard University
, only to have it rescinded when it became known that she had killed her mother and had omitted this fact from her college application.
. She had one sister, who was 9 years older than she was. Gina's father died of lung cancer when Gina was 11 years old.
so as per the law pertaining to minors, the criminal records are sealed. However, the Lexington County sheriff
, James Metts - who handled the original case - released Grant's name immediately after her arrest. Thus, the facts of the case are available in copious newspaper and magazine articles published in the early 1990s.
On September 13, 1990 in Lexington, South Carolina
, the 14-year old Grant bludgeoned her mother thirteen times with a crystal candlestick, crushing her skull. She mopped up pools of blood from the kitchen floor and hid the candlestick and bloody rags in a closet. She then tried to make the death look like suicide by sticking a carving knife into the side of her mother's neck, and wrapping her mother's fingers around the handle.
Grant changed her story several times. Initially, she told police that her mother attacked her while holding a knife and then stabbed herself in the throat. When the candlestick was discovered, Grant changed her story, eventually telling the police that she had committed the killing in self-defense
. She was charged with murder.
In mitigation, evidence suggested that Grant's mother was an alcoholic. Gina claimed that her mother had been physically abusive, which her sister attested to. Grant pleaded no contest
to voluntary manslaughter
and was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention, with probation
until age 18. Her boyfriend pleaded no contest to being an accessory to voluntary manslaughter after the fact and served nearly a year in juvenile detention.
Grant was given permission by the juvenile court to relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts
, to live with a paternal aunt and uncle. She began attending Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in 1992, where she excelled academically, tutored impoverished children, and was co-captain of the tennis team.
. She also reportedly told her Harvard interviewer that her mother had died in an accident. Her lawyer later argued that educational institutions are forbidden by Massachusetts state law to ask about criminal matters that do not result in "convictions". Juveniles found guilty are "adjudicated delinquent" rather than "convicted".
After Grant was featured in an April 2 Boston Globe Sunday Magazine article about disadvantaged students who succeeded despite their circumstances, an anonymous party faxed Harvard and The Globe copies of old news articles about the murder. The next day, Harvard rescinded Grant's admission, though the college did not comment on the specific reasons for rescission, citing several possible reasons. Although Grant requested a meeting with the admissions committee to discuss their decision, Harvard refused to grant her access.
Some campus publications and newspapers sided with Grant, citing Grant's mother's alcoholism and Grant's allegations of physical abuse. Grant's attorney stated that Grant was not obligated to disclose an event that occurred when she was a juvenile and which was sealed upon her turning 18. Some in the press, including an editorial in The New York Times
and an article in the Chicago Tribune
, criticized Harvard for being unforgiving in rescinding its offer. Among those criticizing the admissions committee also included Harvard University professors Charles Ogletree
and Alan Dershowitz
.
Grant herself made no appearances, other than issuing a brief statement: "I deal with this tragedy every day on a personal level. It serves no good purpose for anyone else to dredge up the pain of my childhood. In addition, I have no wish to defame my mother's memory by detailing any abuse."
Grant had also been accepted to Columbia University
, Barnard College
, and Tufts University
. In the controversy surrounding Harvard's decision, Columbia and Barnard also chose to rescind their acceptances without discussing the matter with Grant. Tufts University President John DiBiaggio, who had the authority to reverse the decision of the Tufts admissions committee, chose not to and indeed strongly supported their decision. Grant attended Tufts as part of the Class of 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman who gained notoriety for receiving early admission to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, only to have it rescinded when it became known that she had killed her mother and had omitted this fact from her college application.
Background
Gina Grant was the daughter of Charles Grant and Dorothy Mayfield, both of whom lived in Lexington, South CarolinaLexington, South Carolina
Lexington is a town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,870 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lexington is located at ....
. She had one sister, who was 9 years older than she was. Gina's father died of lung cancer when Gina was 11 years old.
1990 killing and aftermath
At the time of her crime, Grant was a juvenileMinor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
so as per the law pertaining to minors, the criminal records are sealed. However, the Lexington County sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, James Metts - who handled the original case - released Grant's name immediately after her arrest. Thus, the facts of the case are available in copious newspaper and magazine articles published in the early 1990s.
On September 13, 1990 in Lexington, South Carolina
Lexington, South Carolina
Lexington is a town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,870 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lexington is located at ....
, the 14-year old Grant bludgeoned her mother thirteen times with a crystal candlestick, crushing her skull. She mopped up pools of blood from the kitchen floor and hid the candlestick and bloody rags in a closet. She then tried to make the death look like suicide by sticking a carving knife into the side of her mother's neck, and wrapping her mother's fingers around the handle.
Grant changed her story several times. Initially, she told police that her mother attacked her while holding a knife and then stabbed herself in the throat. When the candlestick was discovered, Grant changed her story, eventually telling the police that she had committed the killing in self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
. She was charged with murder.
In mitigation, evidence suggested that Grant's mother was an alcoholic. Gina claimed that her mother had been physically abusive, which her sister attested to. Grant pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to voluntary manslaughter
Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted during "the heat of passion," under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed. In the Uniform Crime Reports prepared by the...
and was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention, with probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
until age 18. Her boyfriend pleaded no contest to being an accessory to voluntary manslaughter after the fact and served nearly a year in juvenile detention.
Grant was given permission by the juvenile court to relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, to live with a paternal aunt and uncle. She began attending Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in 1992, where she excelled academically, tutored impoverished children, and was co-captain of the tennis team.
Admissions revocations
Grant's crime became the subject of national headlines when, in January 1995, she was given early admission to Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. She also reportedly told her Harvard interviewer that her mother had died in an accident. Her lawyer later argued that educational institutions are forbidden by Massachusetts state law to ask about criminal matters that do not result in "convictions". Juveniles found guilty are "adjudicated delinquent" rather than "convicted".
After Grant was featured in an April 2 Boston Globe Sunday Magazine article about disadvantaged students who succeeded despite their circumstances, an anonymous party faxed Harvard and The Globe copies of old news articles about the murder. The next day, Harvard rescinded Grant's admission, though the college did not comment on the specific reasons for rescission, citing several possible reasons. Although Grant requested a meeting with the admissions committee to discuss their decision, Harvard refused to grant her access.
Some campus publications and newspapers sided with Grant, citing Grant's mother's alcoholism and Grant's allegations of physical abuse. Grant's attorney stated that Grant was not obligated to disclose an event that occurred when she was a juvenile and which was sealed upon her turning 18. Some in the press, including an editorial in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and an article in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, criticized Harvard for being unforgiving in rescinding its offer. Among those criticizing the admissions committee also included Harvard University professors Charles Ogletree
Charles Ogletree
Charles J. Ogletree is Jesse Climenko Professor at Harvard Law School, the founder of the school's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, and the author of numerous books on legal topics....
and Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...
.
Grant herself made no appearances, other than issuing a brief statement: "I deal with this tragedy every day on a personal level. It serves no good purpose for anyone else to dredge up the pain of my childhood. In addition, I have no wish to defame my mother's memory by detailing any abuse."
Grant had also been accepted to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, and Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
. In the controversy surrounding Harvard's decision, Columbia and Barnard also chose to rescind their acceptances without discussing the matter with Grant. Tufts University President John DiBiaggio, who had the authority to reverse the decision of the Tufts admissions committee, chose not to and indeed strongly supported their decision. Grant attended Tufts as part of the Class of 1999.