A man from Maryland, known for his serene demeanor, recently admitted to murdering the mother of his child’s girlfriend.
Eugene Grigor, 45, pleaded guilty last week to the murder of Leslie Pleier, a 50-year-old married woman who was discovered dead in a home in Chevy Chase on May 2, 2001.
The case went cold until DNA evidence found under Pleier’s nails pointed investigators toward Grigor’s distant relatives in Romania.
He was ultimately apprehended outside his apartment in Washington, DC, last June.
Interestingly, Pleier’s daughter had met Grigor at a restaurant in DC a year prior to his arrest, completely unaware of his dark past.
“He seemed normal, so it’s hard to believe someone could commit such a crime and act like everything’s fine,” she shared with a local news outlet.
After the incident, Grigor continued living in the DC area, where he had worked for a real estate firm for 23 years. Even after his arrest, coworkers described him as a friendly and calm individual, according to reports.
The motivations behind Grigor’s actions remain unclear.
He has no significant criminal record and authorities have stated there’s little evidence to suggest the murder was premeditated.
Initially charged with first-degree murder, Grigor eventually accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder. He faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on August 2.
Family attorney Benjamin Kurtz remarked, “After 24 years, Lauren, her family, and friends finally have the closure and justice they’ve been waiting for regarding this tragic event.” He went on to express how unsettling it is to realize that the perpetrator was someone they had welcomed into their lives.
