HOUSTON – For the first time in nine years, Lydell Grant spent Christmas at home with his family.
Grant was in prison serving a life sentence in the 2010 murder of Aaron Scheerhoorn outside Blur Bar in Montrose. But, Grant, who never stopped maintaining his innocence, was released in November after the Innocence Project of Texas retested DNA evidence that revealed a different suspect.
READ ABOUT THE CASE: New suspect arrested, charged in 2010 Montrose stabbing; DA says Lydell Grant will be exonerated
“I’m just living my best life, man," Grant told KPRC 2 on Christmas Day.
Now 43, the former inmate is free on bail but has not yet been officially exonerated in the stabbing. The Harris County District Attorney said earlier this month that they will begin the process to exonerate Grant immediately.
The retested DNA evidence points to a new suspect, 43-year-old Jermarico Devon Carter, who was taken into custody earlier this month. Carter moved to Atlanta shortly after the murder.
Court documents obtained by KPRC 2 show that detectives from the Houston Police Department recently interviewed Carter in Georgia and that Carter appeared to be claiming a self-defense motive for the killing and that Scheerhorn is the person who pulled the knife after telling him to “get out of the way,” according to the charging document.
‘Justice has been served’: Lydell Grant speaks for the first time since new suspect charged in 2010 Montrose stabbing
“...they then began tussling in the street and it was the complainant who pulled out a knife and they began to fight over the knife. As they wre fighting over the knife, the Defendant stated that’s probably how the complainant was stabbed (sic),” the criminal complaint reads.
Carter is accused of stabbing another man, his roommate in Atlanta, according to the same document.
He also has an active theft warrant against him in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana that dates back to 2001.
Carter has had numerous criminal convictions in Texas including resisting arrest, burglary, evading arrest, burglary of a motor vehicle, drug possession and burglary of a habitation.
‘Cooking and crying.’ Lydell Grant spends Thanksgiving with his family after nearly a decade in prison
Grant had little to say about the new arrest, but said that “(Carter) will have to deal with it now."
He expects to be officially exonerated by a court of criminal appeals in early 2020. Meanwhile, he said he is getting ready to start work at a plant in Sealy but also wants to enroll in school and pursue a career in film production.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be home with your family, enjoying Christmas,” Grant said.
KPRC 2′s Tulsi Kamath contributed to this report.
