A 23-year-old nursing student originally from the United Kingdom, Tamilore Odunsi, was brutally stabbed to death just days before her college graduation in what police say was a fatal altercation over a dispute involving cats.
The suspected attacker, her roommate Chester Lamar Grant, 40, has been charged with murder in connection with the April 26 killing, according to the Houston Police Department.
Authorities say they conducted a welfare check at the student’s Houston apartment after a friend reported concerns and responding officers noticed blood on the patio. Inside, police found Odunsi unresponsive with multiple stab wounds.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. Grant, who allegedly stabbed himself multiple times—including once in the neck—was found alive and hospitalized in critical condition. He was officially booked into jail on May 3 and is due in court Monday, May 5.
Investigators told KHOU 11 that Odunsi and Grant had only lived together for about two months, and the stabbing followed a heated disagreement over the cats they kept in the apartment. Following the attack, Grant reportedly attempted to end his own life.
Odunsi had been documenting her journey as a British nursing student in the U.S. on TikTok under the handle @tamidollars, where she amassed over 30,000 followers.
Her final post, just five days before her death, showed her dancing in celebration of her upcoming graduation, captioned, “I’m readyyyyyyyyyyyyy 
.”
“She was full of light, ambition, and kindness,” wrote organizers of a GoFundMe campaign launched to help return her remains to the U.K. and cover funeral costs.
The campaign has raised over £54,530 (more than $72,000 as of May 4, far surpassing its initial goal.
“This is an unimaginable loss at a moment that should have marked the beginning of a bright and promising future,” the fundraiser states.
Odunsi had dedicated herself to a future in nursing, preparing to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and planning summer travels to celebrate the milestone.
