N.P. killer slain in prison

Written on July 1, 2011 – 9:29 am | by Cameron Hussey

LINCOLN Judy Cotton of North Platte said she feels no joy and little relief that the man who stabbed and killed her daughter and granddaughter is now dead himself, reportedly the victim of a prison stabbing.

Cotton and other family members of Lori Solie, 39, and Tiara Solie, 5, received word early Friday that Michael Grandon, 22, had died after being stabbed in an incident at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. I feel somewhat relieved that he will not have the chance to escape or be released or do harm to anyone, Cotton said. But its part of the ongoing horrific whole thing. Ive got a whole lot of conflicting emotions. I dont think anyone deserves to die like that. I dont think my daughter and my granddaughter deserved to die like that. But Tiaras father, Tony Solie, said he wanted to shake the hand of the inmate who killed Grandon. Karmas a son of a gun, he said. Prison officials and the Nebraska State Patrol are releasing few details about what happened to Grandon, who was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Lorie Solies death and to aiding and abetting first-degree murder in Tiaras death in Lorie Solies North Platte apartment. The plea agreement allowed him to escape the death penalty. Penitentiary spokesman Win Barber said Grandon died at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at BryanLGH Medical Center West, shortly after a confrontation with another inmate.Barber wouldnt say where in the prison the incident happened, whether a suspect had been identified or whether the stabbing had anything to do with Grandons crime. Grandons attorneys did not return phone calls Friday. Grandons mother could not be reached for comment. Grandon, then 18, and his then-15-year-old girlfriend Lori Solies daughter Alisha Ochoa both were charged in the May 2007 slayings. Ochoa, however, was acquitted by a jury after a trial in which she testified in her own defense.She said Grandon was an abusive and controlling boyfriend who concocted the plan to kill her mother and half-sister and to flee from North Platte.Prosecutors said the little girl was strangled and then stabbed. When Lori Solie arrived home later, she was hit with a baseball bat and stabbed. Grandon had implicated Ochoa in the murders and had agreed to testify against her. However, he never was called to the witness stand. He did not admit to killing Tiara when he entered his guilty plea. Cotton said she had talked to Alisha Ochoa several times since learning of Grandons death. She said Ochoa, now 19 and living in another state, will never fully recover from what happened. She will have a hard life, always, Cotton said. She will always have this trauma in her mind and in her life. Theres just no way not to.Cotton said she feels bad for Grandons family. I think its horrible for his family. Now they will have to go through what we went through. But I do think its a blessing to him that hes out of the whole thing, out of having to spend his whole life behind bars. That might help his family with their grief and their loss. Tony Solie said he felt a sense of closure in a way but wished he could have seen Grandon suffer. In my mind, I wanted him to sit there and think about it for a while, he said. Cotton and Solie said authorities had given them no more details about Grandons death than had been reported to news outlets. Solie said he hopes to learn more. This story includes material from the North Platte Telegraph.Contact the writer: 402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com

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