NBC‘s newsmagazine Dateline had a powerful report Monday about a neighborhood feud in Carmel Valley, Calif., that left two people dead and another in prison for life.
It illustrated how seemingly trivial disputes can turn deadly. In this case, a fight over a four-foot patch of dirt along a shared driveway between next-door neighbors turned deadly.
Watch the report or read the transcript on the Dateline Web site.
It was shocking.
The show explained how, on Jan. 29, 2007, defense attorney Mel Grimes Jr., and his para-legal wife, Elizabeth, were shot to death in their driveway by their neighbor, John “Jack” Kenney, a 72-year-old petroleum engineer. Here are photos from Dateline’s Web site:
Mel and Elizabeth Grimes
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John “Jack” Kenney
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The flashpoint for the killings? Kenney placed a one-ton boulder on the strip of land to block the Grimes’ access to their carport.
The photo, left, shows the boulder placed behind the Grimes’ van and carport. The Grimes’ house is visible above the carport area.
The Grimes came home from work to find the boulder and Grimes immediately started trying to smash it with a sledge hammer. Kenney came out and confronted the couple with a gun, shooting each twice, then firing a third shot into Elizabeth Grimes’ back. Both died.
At trial in 2008, Kenney claimed self defense. But prosecutors refuted his claim that he was attacked by playing the a chilling tape of a 9-1-1 call made by Elizabeth Grimes as the couple came home and found their carport blocked.
The entire confrontation was captured on tape and the couple is heard being shot to death, even telling each other “I love you” with their dying breaths.
Kenney was convicted of first-degree murder in Elizabeth Grimes’ death and second-degree murder for Mel Grimes’ killing. He is appealing his conviction.
Kenney, under arrest
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It’s a sobering story that shows how educated, successful people can allow their pride or controlling natures to drag them into ugly disputes over seemingly minor matters like driveway access.
And in this case, it led to murder. It’s a story that everyone in a dispute with their neighbors should watch or read.
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The story is a sad but all too real example of how emotions can take over between neighbors. As the article points out, the people were educated, and I’d guess responsible people who were caught up in rage. We see this often in “road rage” – people behaving in was they never would in other settings.
Road rage still occurs but the media has done a good job of “exposing” road rage. I think it has helped curb the behavior and helped people think before they act.
I have seen this type of behavior in local neghiborhood groups. Some violence has occured and several 911 calls have been made. No one has died or had major bodily damage … yet! But it might.
I’ll hope the media sheds light on this growning problem rather than pooring gas on the flames.
John Kenney is an insane, psychopath…I watched the whole report on TV and the Grimes lived at the cottage for 10 years and never had a problem. Suddenly this control freak moves in next door and starts to harass them. This man is insane and deserves to rot in prision and burn in hell.
I met John “Jack” Kenney in 2000 (Los Angeles) and after knowing him for a short while I felt that he was a “loose cannon and a time bomb just waiting to go off” and I gave him the moniker of “Crazy Jack”.
The other evening I hapened to see the television story regarding the events described above. Was I surprised ?? No, I would have been surprised had it not happened. He is the type of guy who tries to justify his actions by words contrived by his own feelings of superiority. Even in the interview he admitted that he did not have remorse…..so sad.
He could have avoided this murder by staying in his home that evening and not leaving the house. He started the chain of events when he (1) left the safety of his dwelling (2) took a pistol outside (3) confronted the other couple.
Although he had the legal right to plant the rock in the driveway (his property), it only served to inflame the situation and to escalate negative feelings.
He got what he deserved and I hope that his appeal is denied.
Rage is a good word. Blind rage. The kind where we lose all sense of our shared humanity, find no common bond between us and are gripped by selfish desire – my way or the highway sort of thing.
The sad shame of this tragedy is that it happened despite that the male victim was a lawyer and the murderer actually had his lawyer at the scene when the boulder was put in place. Yet neither seemed to have made use of the law to resolve the problem. Every property is entitled to access. Here, the access easement apparently inadvertently did not include a 20 foot slice between the road and the driveway. Legal solution: First seek an adjustment to the easement through a quiet title action. Should that fail, resort to private condemnation, which is permissible under California law.
It’s part of the court record of the murder trial that the disputed piece of land was acknowledged, for insurance purposes, to have easement status. Is it possible that murderer Kinney’s lawyers, who advised him to place the boulder there, failed to research risk factors before doing so?
I watched the special on dateline. In my opinion you can hear the arrogance from the Kenney family through his daughter. I was infuriated when she made the claim that her family was hurting too. So? How can you compare that to the Grimes family? John “Jack” Kenney is where he belongs, in prison. How can you expect sympathy?
What is the deal with his fellow church members? They are just as insane! How can you justify murder? I don’t get it, when did they stop asking themselves… WWJD?
Well of course he’s an arrogant, pompous prick! He’s a turd and will be treated as such by society for the rest of his life.
If there was an encroachment agreement in place long before Kenney moved in, this whole mess could of been avoided. Kenney deserves the death penalty.
I read that a few days b4 his trial is was found that the disputed strip of land was actually some sort of entry and neither neighbor could have claimed ownership of it. Irregardless of that, Kenny knew they couldn’t get into their driveway when he put that stone there…hell, that’s why he put that stone there! He was ready & waiting with that gun for them to pull up. Also, in the same article they published excerpts from a jail house call & got him saying that he was interested in renewing a personal injury suit against The Grimes’ that had previously been dropped dealing with another conflict between them. He’s on tape saying he wants his lawyer to renew that suit as soon as ”all this nonsense is over” referring to his trial for the murder of these people!!!!! This guy was the devil!!! I’ve seen alot of true crime stuff but the 911 audio of The Grimes’ telling each other ‘i love you’ with their last, dying breaths was so tragic and so beautiful & may they rest in peace!!!
That guy John is evil, he really deserve the dead penalty!!!
I watched this unfold. And just watched the Date Line show again as it was on the ID channel. This man is a straight up control freak psychopath. I am disgusted with his daughter that was on this program and her ignorance of having a psychopathic dad. There is no reason in the world he should have been afraid of these people the Grimes, as they seem like wonderful folks. His, John Kenny’s, obsession with a surfboard size plot of land in front of their driveway which he owns, is psychotic. I am not a violent person, but I just want to shake his daughter and tell her to open her eyes, your father is a psychopath. There was no reason for this man to feel vulnerable or afraid of the Grimes family. There comes a time when you have to get real girl. Your dad the killer went to France and was still scared of the Grimes’. I call BS on that 1. My heart goes out to the Grimes and their family.
Just watched the story on Dateline. What a control freak monster. I hope he burns in hell. I hope his daughter is right there with him for justifying his murderous actions.
I just watched this again on ID. Every time I see this story, I feel enraged that Kenney is allowed to suck air! This man was just a control freak and expected everyone to just obey his every wish. The Grimes had the right to use their property and to decorate as they saw fit and he should have just “live and let live”, but now, he will “live” in prison for the rest of his life!! These 2 loving people (I think that maybe there was jealousy on Kenneys part) had been there for years and he comes along and tries to make life miserable for these good people. He deserves to rot in prison and be buried in an unmarked grave.
I came upon this blog by simply searching my parents name. Mel and Elizabeth are my parents and I miss them everyday. Someone pointed out that it was Kenney’s right to place the boulder were he did since it was his property and he was instructed by his lawyers that it was legal. Unfortunately Kenney’s lawyers knew nothing about easement laws and did not do their job researching the land title and how the parcels were split up in the 50′s. It stated that the driveway was an easement owned by both parties and we were both responsible for keeping the driveway clear at all times so that emergency vehicles could access it 24/7.. Bottom line he is a control freak and was extremely jealous of two people living happily while his so called wife and kid lived in France. I told the DA to not go for death penalty rather let him rot In prison for the rest of his life in a 5×8 ft cell with two other people in there with him. Most likely his cell mates didn’t make it past 3rd grade and they are the ones telling him what to do. That to me is justice, he no longer has control and will die alone with an unmarked grave. John Kenney may you rot in jail for now and burn in hell for eternity!!!!