Blake Allen Grisham, 37, was found dead of a gunshot wound at a residence on 1960 Boyd Road in Utica, Mississippi, after deputies from the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office responded just after 11:25 p.m. on Monday, November 6, 2023. Investigators say Grisham had gone to the home to pick up his sister and that an altercation with her alleged boyfriend, 42-year-old James Hudspeth, escalated and ended with Grisham’s fatal shooting. Hudspeth was taken into custody and charged with murder in connection with the death.

Grisham was born March 31, 1986, in Cleveland, Mississippi. He worked as a mechanic and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and repairing cars and other items. He is remembered for a larger-than-life personality, a charming smile and contagious laugh, and for spending time with his two daughters. The shooting deepens a family history of loss: his sister April Jones was herself a homicide victim in 2019.

If anyone has information about the events at the Boyd Road residence that night or knew Blake, please share what you know.