Man who killed his daughter, 2, after setting her alight dies in prison

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT SHAWN RYAN GRELL, 50,WAS FOUND GUILTY OF THE HORRENDOUS ACT AGAINST HIS DAUGHTER, KRISTEN SALEM, WHO WAS JUST TWO AT THE TIME HE SET HER ALIGHT IN THE DESERT

BACK IN 1999 05:29, 31 May 2025 A father, serving a life term for the horrifying murder of his two- year-old daughter by burning her alive in the desert, has died in prison, officials

announced on Wednesday. The horrific murder happened on December 2 1999 when Shawn Ryan Grell picked up his daughter Kristen Salem from her daycare, treated her to a McDonald's meal,

and then drove to a secluded desert location near Mesa. In a chilling sequence of events at around 7:30 in the evening, after pulling off to the side of a road, he poured petrol over his

sleeping daughter and ignited it. Prosecutors disclosed how young Kristen managed to crawl roughly 10 feet whilst ablaze before ultimately succumbing to her injuries. Grell was later found

guilty of the horrendous act against his daughter. READ MORE: CORONER HAS ‘NO DOUBT’ DIAGNOSIS COULD HAVE PREVENTED DEATH OF BABY BOY Witnesses recount how she awoke during the monstrous

act, pleading, "No daddy, no," right before Grell set her on fire. Her severely burnt body was found the following morning by local authorities, reports the Mirror US. Article

continues below After attempting to confess to the crime—once during a DUI stop and again via a 911 call which failed to elicit responses—Grell entered the Arizona State Capitol, admitted

his guilt to the police, and was arrested. Grell ultimately faced a conviction for first-degree murder and was initially handed a death sentence. Grell himself acknowledged the gravity of

his actions post-sentencing, exclaiming, "I deserve it." However, in 2013, revelations about Grell's mental health came to light when the Arizona Supreme Court highlighted his

childhood brain damage and history of running away from several group homes; this led to a ruling that Grell had a mental disability. Due to his disability rendering him ineligible for

execution under federal law, prosecutors then suggested that he should instead be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. One assessor poignantly remarked, "It appears

that Shawn Grell has never had a moment of genuine happiness in his life." The high court also took time to mention how "horrific" the killing was and acknowledged the

destruction it wrought on the family. Grell passed away on April 19 under mysterious circumstances. Although the cause of death is not yet known, an investigation is underway, as per

standard procedure for all inmate deaths, detailed by the Arizona Department of Corrections. It comes after a dad was jailed for45 years for the gruesome murder of his seven-year-old Jaevion

Riley. Murtadah Mohammad, aged 27, was sentenced in Hillsborough Superior Court (Northern District) on Tuesday May 27 after he pleaded guilty in April to reckless second-degree murder and

falsifying physical evidence in the death of his son, per an agency press release. Article continues below Murtadah Mohammad, aged 27, was sentenced in Hillsborough Superior Court (Northern

District) on Tuesday May 27 after he pleaded guilty in April to reckless second-degree murder and falsifying physical evidence in the death of his son, per an agency press release.