Sounak Sengupta
NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Trouble on the Hill: Feuding Neighbours’ chronicles a tragic feud between two neighbors in Carmel Valley, California, that resulted in two unfortunate deaths in late January 2007. Melvin and Elizabeth Grimes were killed, and the police arrested the perpetrator immediately. A legal battle ensued, with the killer claiming they acted in self-defense while the prosecutors fought to prove otherwise. If you’re interested in discovering more about the case, here’s what we know.
How Did Melvin and Elizabeth Grimes Die?
Melvin “Mel” Noble Grimes was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 10, 1948, and lived most of his life in Carmel Valley in Monterey County, California. He graduated from Carmel High School, UC Santa Barbara, and Golden Gate Law School and practiced criminal defense law in the Carmel area since 1973. According to loved ones, Mel was a quiet and gentle spirit, a wonderful friend, and had a zest for life and a passion for running, surfing, and old rock and blues music. Growing up “on a surfboard in Monterey Bay,” he ran marathons and visited the Monterey Blues Festival.
Elizabeth Ellington (née Rosnack) Grimes was born in El Paso, Texas, on October 4, 1951. Her father was in the Army, and they traveled throughout the US and Europe in her childhood. Elizabeth graduated from high school in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, and moved to Pacific Grove in 1986, where she met Mel and married in 1995. They were two soul mates who found love after two failed marriages each. Elizabeth’s son from a previous marriage, Tom Ellington-Wills, admired Mel’s laid-back and kind-hearted nature.
Tom recalled, “My mom was a paralegal at a law firm directly next door to his firm. He would constantly ask my mother out on a date.” Mel’s carefree upbringing influenced the couple’s whimsical Carmel Valley home decor. Their hillside abode was a blend of discarded surfboards, mismatched sculptures, signs, birdhouses, wind chimes, and an old sailboat. Besides, Mel was a loving stepfather to Tom and taught him how to be a wonderful husband and father, and he truly adored his new granddaughter, Lovelynn, and his nieces and nephews.
Tom laughed as he recounted how Mel’s generosity extended beyond his legal practice — he often accepted unconventional forms of compensation, such as building decks or free-standing units. He said, “They were genuinely happy. It was wild seeing them together constantly, always holding hands.” Hence, it was shocking when Elizabeth called 911 from their 82 Hitchcock Canyon Road residence on January 29, 2007. The dispatcher heard five gunshots, with Mel, 58, dying at the scene. Elizabeth, 55, was deceased en route to a trauma center.
Who Killed Melvin and Elizabeth Grimes?
Mel and Elizabeth spent a decade living carefree on their property until a new neighbor, John Franklin Kenney, entered the picture in the late 90s. A distinguished figure with a Ph.D. from MIT, he was a Korean War veteran, former college professor, and world-traveling consultant in oil exploration. John settled next door to the Grimes and embraced his surroundings, being involved in local conservation efforts and church activities. His daughter, Segolene Kenney, admired her father’s peaceful and tender nature.
Segolene added, “My father is a wonderful man. He has raised us the best way he could. He’s tender, calm, funny, and a peaceful man.” While John divided his time between Nancy, France, and Carmel Valley due to his flexible work, his daughters grew up in France under their mother’s care. However, the idyllic life on Hitchcock Canyon Road started to change when a bridge repair became a focal point of a dispute between John and the Grimes. Initially, the former agreed to let Mel repair the bridge, but after weeks of delay, he hired a company to do the job.
An adamant Mel refused to pay his share, leading to a court battle that John eventually won — thus marking the beginning of growing tensions. As the years went on, his irritation with Grimes heightened. He found their property visually unappealing and claimed they had been dumping garbage and branches, creating fire hazards. Furthermore, the two neighbors lodged complaints against each other with local authorities regarding building code violations and other issues. The animosity escalated as they exchanged scathing letters and sued each other.
The neighborly feud turned sinister when the Grimes’ residence was burglarized and their animals harmed. Mel suspected John’s involvement, though the show noted no a lack of concrete evidence to support his suspicions. Tom stated his mother, Elizabeth, even confided in a friend about the growing hostility with her neighbor, expressing fear for her safety. Amid the escalating tensions, their attorneys advised the Grimes to consider leaving their property to avoid potential escalation.
Ultimately, the feud between neighbors focused on a strip of land four feet wide and ten feet long that separated their properties in Carmel Valley. Although legally an easement, the strip was technically on John’s property and provided access to Grimes’ carport. In June 2005, he planted a garden on the strip, intending to block the couple from using the carport. Hours later, John alleged that the Grimes drove over the green to destroy it. An altercation ensued, and he claimed that Elizabeth assaulted him, injuring his neck.
Hospital records confirmed John’s injuries, including a concussion and cervical strain. Consequently, both parties obtained restraining orders against each other. In 2006, the dispute centered on the narrow strip once again. John’s attorneys advised him to place a large rock on the strip to obstruct access, so he hired a security consultant and arranged for the Monterey County sheriff to oversee the rock’s placement. However, in October 2006, he left for France due to a family emergency and spent the holidays there, apprehensive about returning to Carmel Valley.
The Grimes were also away during that time, vacationing in Hawaii. The deepening conflict took a toll on all three, changing their demeanor and outlook. John’s daughters noticed his anxiety, hesitancy in speech, and physical discomfort. Elizabeth underwent a shift from her previously positive outlook to one of caution and distrust. In late January 2007, the long-standing feud between John Kenney and the Grimes reached its climax. The former returned from Europe with a plan to block access to Grimes’ carport with a large boulder.
John’s security consultant and attorney were present as the rock was delivered on January 29, but no immediate confrontation occurred, as the Grimes were not yet home. Upon returning from dinner, they discovered the boulder blocking their driveway. Mel attempted to remove it using a sledgehammer while Elizabeth called 911, explaining the situation and her husband’s heart condition.
The 911 call captured the escalating tension as Mel struck the boulder, and his wife tried to stop him while requesting police assistance. John emerged from his house and confronted the Grimes. An argument ensued, and Elizabeth repeatedly called for the sheriff. The situation escalated dramatically when Elizabeth shouted that John had a gun. Gunshots were heard on the call, followed by moments of silence — the chilling 911 call ended abruptly.
John Kenney is Serving His Sentence
The police rushed to the scene at 5:52 PM, and John was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. However, he claimed that Elizabeth attacked him while Mel was allegedly charged with a sledgehammer. During the trial, John defended his actions as self-defense and attributed them to his military training. The prosecution argued that the fifth shot, fired after a pause, indicated that his actions were not purely in self-defense but rather “a coup de gras.”
John Kenney was convicted of the first-degree murder of Elizabeth and the second-degree murder of Melvin. He was sentenced to life without parole consecutive to 25 years to life, with a concurrent term of 15 years to life consecutive to 25 years to life in 2008. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.
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