She's 16, He's 28. Now This "Couple" Is Accused Of Murdering Her Entire Family (And Pets)

Summary

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Criminally Obsessed

Episode: She's 16, He's 28. Now This "Couple" Is Accused Of Murdering Her Entire Family (And Pets)
Date: May 12, 2026
Host: Ann Emerson
Featured Guest: Britney (cousin of accused Starr Grant)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the harrowing case of 16-year-old Starr Grant and her 28-year-old boyfriend, Devin Loving, who are accused of murdering Starr’s parents and grandmother, as well as several of the family’s pets, in North Carolina. Host Ann Emerson interviews Britney, a cousin of Starr, providing personal insights into the family, the investigation, and the sense of shock surrounding the tragedy. The episode explores questions of grooming, missed warning signs, family dynamics, and the search for understanding and forgiveness in the wake of unimaginable loss.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime & Immediate Aftermath

• Ann recaps the facts: Starr Grant (16) and Devin Loving (28) allegedly murdered Starr’s parents, Travis and Kimberly Grant, and grandmother, Sharon Grant, on May 7. Starr vanished, only to be located days later in Tennessee delivering DoorDash orders with Loving (00:10).
• The sense of disbelief among extended family and the community is profound. As Britney explains:

  "This is not the girl we know at all. The shock, the 'how did no one see this coming' feeling." (00:38)

2. Discovery and the Family’s Struggle

• Britney describes her experience when she realized something was wrong—how uncharacteristic it was for her aunt and uncle to be out of contact, and how she became involved in the search (02:21-05:24):
  • Multiple family members and all their social media went silent.
  • Work alarm was raised by absenteeism; welfare checks were performed, but the family’s bodies went undiscovered for days.
  • Britney was proactive, contacting authorities and pushing to escalate the search:

    "At this point, you need to break the door down… Travis’s biological daughter actually went over to the home and found the massacre inside." (04:50)

• The impact of discovering the loss through official channels crushed the family.

3. Family Background & Starr’s Upbringing

• Ann prompts Britney to share about Travis, Kimberly, and Sharon—that their life was centered on love, faith, and providing for Star (06:44):
  • "They were godly people... They did everything with that kid. The adventures, the experiences… They worked very hard making sure they provided, provided the best life that they could for Star." (06:44)
  • Travis built an extension to care for his ill mother.
  • Star was described as a miracle baby after her mother struggled to conceive and deeply loved by her family.

4. Relationship with Devin Loving & Missed Warning Signs

• Britney recounts the family’s initial discovery of Starr’s relationship with a much older man and how it developed at Starr’s job, where she met Devin Loving (09:34):
  • Starr’s parents forbade her from having a phone or social media, but Loving bought her a burner phone.
  • They would meet secretly during lunch breaks at work.
  • Despite coworkers and a manager noticing the oddity of a 28-year-old man repeatedly visiting a 16-year-old, no one reported it:

    "Had someone just said, 'Hey, this doesn’t seem right,' I feel like all of this could have been avoided, but they waited too long." (09:40)

  • Loving was described by staff as “dirty, rough around the edges, a creepy, eerie [guy]” (10:17).

5. The Events Leading Up to the Murders

• Upon learning of the relationship, Starr’s parents planned to obtain a restraining order:

  "The last day Travis was at work, he told his boss... he was going to put a restraining order out. And then he never showed back up at work.” (11:14)

• The couple brought their own weapon; family guns were locked away (11:42).
• Several household pets were killed, but some were left alive—a detail that made the scene more haunting (11:46, 12:45).
• After the murders, Starr and Loving left for Tennessee and survived by delivering DoorDash:

  “She said, oh my goodness, this was the same couple that gave me my DoorDash order the other night… They both got out of the car to deliver the food to her… they wouldn’t leave [her property]. And then the next morning they show up on the news for murder.” (13:33)

6. Questions of Grooming, Coercion, and Starr’s Agency

• The family and host consider the possibility that Starr was groomed or coerced:

  "We don’t know if she was in danger, if she was being threatened by him, if there was any grooming or coercion going on… But just the simple fact that you get a 16-year-old a burner phone tells pretty much everything.” (08:41)

• Britney is clear about Starr’s age and vulnerability:

  “Especially her being so young and him being a lot older” (14:55)
  “At 16, you don’t know your rights. I’m 32, I don’t even know my rights.” (15:18, 15:30)

• Starr allegedly waived her right to an attorney when questioned by authorities (15:18).

7. The Aftermath, Grieving, and Forgiveness

• Britney details the challenges of arranging funerals for three family members and fears their remains could go unclaimed (16:02).
• She speaks to the impact of the case becoming a national news story:

  “This has shattered our family in ways words can’t explain. I don’t think people understand what it’s like to watch your loved ones become a news story overnight… Because there’s a lot of judgment in the world, and there is not enough forgiving.” (17:07, 17:32)

• On finding peace, forgiveness, and faith:

  “It’s not our place to judge anyone. You just gotta pray for both of them. I feel bad for both… everyone needs to find some sort of peace in this.” (18:20)

8. Brittany’s Personal Memories & Reflections

• Britney shares touching family stories, including playing music to help induce Star’s labor:

  “I was like, you know what, I’m gonna put the headphones on your belly, and I’m gonna blare some music. I’m gonna get that baby out. And it was in minutes, and she was… in this world.” (19:29)

  • On the Star she remembers:

    “That’s the only Star I knew. She was a precious, funky little girl. Yeah, she’s our little… she was awesome. She’s our Star.” (20:11)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On disbelief and loss:

  "This is not the girl we know at all. The shock, the 'how did no one see this coming' feeling." – Britney (00:38)

• On missed intervention:

  "Had someone just said, 'Hey, this doesn’t seem right,' I feel like all of this could have been avoided, but they waited too long." – Britney (09:40)

• On the tragedy’s magnitude:

  "They bought their own weapon with them. After they locked the door, they drove away to Gatlinburg to have a grand old time afterwards is what is scariest.” – Britney (11:46)

• On forgiveness and judgment:

  "Because there’s a lot of judgment in the world, and there is not enough forgiving.” – Britney (17:32) “It’s not our place to judge anyone. You just gotta pray for both of them… Everyone needs to find some sort of peace in this.” – Britney (18:20)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:10 – Case recap and shock expressed by family
• 02:21 – Britney describes the search and discovery
• 06:44 – Family background and memories of Starr
• 09:34 – How Starr met Devin Loving and early warning signs
• 11:42 – Details on the murder, pets, and the aftermath
• 13:33 – DoorDash encounter in Tennessee
• 14:55 – Speculation on grooming and agency
• 15:18 – Starr waives her right to an attorney
• 16:02 – The challenges of planning funerals and claiming remains
• 17:32 – On media coverage and the demand for forgiveness
• 19:29–20:11 – Britney shares a story from Starr’s birth and who she was

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Tone & Final Reflections

The episode is characterized by both the investigative acumen of Ann Emerson and the raw grief and candor of Britney. With a compassionate yet probing approach, Ann brings forward both facts and emotions, while Britney provides a window into the humanity lost in a headline. The final messages are about searching for understanding, supporting the grieving, and choosing forgiveness even in the darkest moments.

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For continuing updates on the case and future episodes, listeners are encouraged to follow Criminally Obsessed.

Transcript

[A]

Hi everyone, I'm Ann Emerson and this is criminally obsessed star Brandt, who's 60

[B]

years old, will be charged as an adult. But this is an active and harmful and criminal investigation.

[A]

What if I told you a 16 year old girl disappeared after her family was murdered and days later she turns up in Tennessee allegedly delivering doordash with her much older boyfriend. This case out of North Carolina is just unbelievable. Investigators say Starr Grant and her 28 year old boyfriend Devin Loving murdered Star's parents, Travis and Kimberly Grant and her grandmother Sharon Grant on May 7. But Star, she was gone. Investigators eventually tracked down Starr and Loving in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. That's where they were making ends meet, I guess, delivering food like nothing happened. Now family members are trying to make sense of this because get this, Starr's cousin Britney says this is not the girl they know at all. And honestly, that's the part that sticks with people about a case like this. The shock, the how did no one see this coming feeling. You're telling me this didn't sound like the Star you knew?

[B]

Oh, no, no, not, not anything whatsoever. They had several animals that were killed as well. They didn't kill all of them.

[A]

Brittany says Star's parents were planning on getting a restraining order against Loving, but they ended up dead. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any updates to this story. Let's get into it. I know that your family must be in shock right now with everything going on. How are you holding up?

[B]

Okay. It comes and goes in waves, you know, it. Yeah, one second I'm not thinking about it and the next second I am. But I think that's pretty normal for the circumstances. I think we're all still in shock. And you know, until all of this is over, the investigations over, the case has been cleared. I don't know that we're really going to be able to, you know, kind of get over it because right now there's still so much information coming in and out right now, it's, it's overwhelming.

[A]

Britney, you posted on Facebook that your, your aunt and uncle were missing and your cousin was missing and you were asking people to message you to, to try and locate them. Can you take me through what was going on in your mind during that time? Like what were you dealing with? What did you think was going on?

[B]

I automatically went to think the worst just because even though it has been some time since I have seen that side of my family, they were still very active on social media and you know, they would reach out. My uncle Would reach out to me all the time. She was always out with Star, her daughter, and posting photos. And when my grandmother reached out and said that someone had messaged her, she. She had two people message her and say, hey, we' not heard from Travis in over a week. He's been away from work. And that's not like him. You know, he works full time and he never misses any days. And then same with Kim. They've all been missing. So it was Star and Kim and Travis and Sharon all missing at once. And then the information came out that Star had been in contact with this older gentleman and that he had bought her a burner phone. And, you know, she would take her breaks, lunch at work, and they'd go meet up in the parking lot above her job. And once they told me that, and I realized that my aunt, uncle were trying to put a restraining order on this man, I kind of put two and two together. It wasn't anything. I felt like I shouldn't have been the one to, you know, pursue this, but. But I did. I was on the phone all day long with the Buncombe County Sheriff's office. And the unfortunate part about all of this is the first week that Travis was missing, his co workers did a welfare check. And they went by the house several times, and they put it on. They put on the notes that it was. There was a no contact. They weren't able to get anyone to answer the door. And at that time, they were already deceased in the home. So more time passed, and that's when I finally contacted them. And I was like, listen, there's way too many leads on this. There's way too many, you know, missing people. I said, at this point, you need to break the door down. And it took a very long time for them to get a search warrant. And I. I was told, you know, they were going to give me a call back once they entered the home. I never got a call back. So I waited. I slept through the night, woke up the next morning, and Travis's biological daughter actually went over to the home and found the massacre inside of the home and. And see and. And seen, you know, what had happened inside of there. And so then I was like, okay, well, I'm going to call the sheriff's department and see what's going on. And they were like, we weren't going to call and tell you. Yeah, it's still under investigation, but, yes, we found all three of them deceased, and Star is not there.

[A]

Brittany, I'm so sorry. What was your reaction to hearing this news, besides just full out shock that this was happening.

[B]

At first I was like, okay, are they on vacation? And I was like, they're not on vacation because Travis would have put in PTO for his job. I'm like, so that counts everything out. Also the fact that their two vehicles were at home. It's like, how would four of them even get to vacation if they were going on vacation? And then I was like, okay, well, has my cousin been caught in a sex trafficking ring? That's a huge thing nowadays. And she got this burner phone from a man and it's like, okay, well, what could it be? And then when I found out that my an uncle were trying to put the restraining order on the man and that they found the three of them deceased in the home and Star and this gentleman were nowhere to be located, it kind of dawned on me. I was like, okay. You know, and that's when you put two and two together. You're like, okay, you have three people dead, two people missing. It kind of adds up. It's very shocking.

[A]

And tell me about your aunt Kimberly and Uncle Travis and his and his mother Sharon. What kind of family were they? Tell me about them as people and as a family.

[B]

They were amazing people. They were godly people. They kept Star in Christian summer camps and they were constantly going to church. They were just a light to be around. They worked very hard making sure they provided, provided the best life that they could for Star. We all have have grown up a little on the rough side of things and we've all experienced poverty. And with that being said, they have done nothing but work their butts off to provide a good life for them. And Travis's mom was in bad health and he ended up making an extension on their home so that she could move in and live with them. So he took over taking care of his mother. And my aunt, she had trouble conceiving children at first in her life. And Star was an absolute miracle baby. And so whenever she had Star, it's like the will started turning in her head and she became supermom. You know, they. They did everything with that kid. You know, the adventures, the experiences, the things that they. They did for her and you know, just how they were as parents, it's shocking because they were always happy. And Star as well, she was just a very outgoing girl. It definitely runs in the family for awesome personalities. My aunt had an awesome personality. Star was absolutely an amazing little girl growing up. And Travis, he was one of the coolest dudes you'd ever Meet

[A]

Brittany. This doesn't sound like a family that would have this kind of tragedy. I mean Star, what was this? Does not sound like. And, and I've seen you say, you know, you've told people you don't want them to think of Star as this, this monster right? Now tell me, how is this all adding up in your head?

[B]

The only thing I can think of is that, you know, Star hit that age to becoming an early adult. And at that age everyone is looking for love, everyone is looking, you know, towards their future. And, and my thought is that she had this one man interested in her and she took it and ran with it. And, and being 16, she's not going to see the red flags in a 28 year old man like most adults would. She thought, oh, I have this older man that's interested in me. This is going to be the love of my life. And the unfortunate part is we don't know if she was in danger, if, if she was being threatened by him, if there was any grooming or coercion going on. But just the simple fact that you get a 16 year old, a burner phone tells pretty much everything that needs to be told.

[A]

Well, how did star meet a 28 year old man? Do y' all know how that started?

[B]

Yeah, she met him at work because my aunt and uncle did not allow her to have a phone, allow her to have social media or anything like that. So it was a situation where he was constantly, constantly going to her work and seeing her. And the sad part about it is Star's co workers and her boss, they seen this every single day. They knew of this and it's like had someone just said, hey, this doesn't seem right. I feel like all of this could have been avoided, but they waited too long.

[A]

Did he raise his own red flags?

[B]

Yeah, the only thing, the only thing that she basically, basically whenever I was on the phone with Star's boss, they explained the man to be, in other words, just, just dirty, rough around the edges, a creepy, eerie Brittany.

[A]

Why would they get let this keep going? I mean, I guess she's 16, but still, I mean, no, nobody was, nobody was shouting from the rooftops like what is this guy doing around a 16 year old?

[B]

Right? Exactly.

[A]

It's like why, why can't people speak up? Right?

[B]

Exactly. And you know, we don't know how long this had been been going on for. And you know, as soon as her parents found out about it, they were like, no, this is not happening and we're putting a restraining order on Him. And before they were even able to do that, they killed him. The last day that Travis was at work, he told his boss and several co workers that he was going to put a restraining order out, and then he never showed back up at work.

[A]

Do you think he knew that there was a restraining order that was about to go out on him?

[B]

Yes. They most definitely told Star that that's what they were doing. They ended up taking the phone from her, and then they. They told her that. That more than likely that that's what they were doing, and then that this is how the horrible tragedy played out.

[A]

How do you. Do you have any idea where this gun came from?

[B]

I have no idea, because my aunt and uncle's weapons were locked up in a safe, so it's not like they were able to go inside their home and get any weapons from my family. So they brought their own weapon with them. It's weird because, you know, when they showed up for the welfare check and they finally went inside the home, they, you know, it was a situation where the doors were unlocked or windows were open, everything was locked up, all the lights were off. The animals that were still alive in the home, you could hear them inside, and it's like they. You know, they had several animals that were killed as well. They didn't kill all of them. They did leave, like, a mouse and a fish and one dog, but she had a lot of animals. So just the fact that they just locked the door and drove their way to Gatlinburg to have a grand old time afterwards is what is scariest.

[A]

Yeah, it's. It's horrifying, honestly. And. And you're telling me this didn't sound like the Star you knew?

[B]

Oh, no, no, not. Not anything whatsoever. I mean, Star and Kim were like two peas in a pod. That was. That was her little mini me. She was. I mean, she was a wild, free soul, you know, just a little gypsy. And I can relate to that. I. I'm just like. I'm just like it. You know, our personalities are very, very similar. And that's the kind of girl that Star was growing up. She was just a sweetheart, and she was funny and, you know, always smiling. Just a beautiful soul. And. And her mother and Travis, they were the same way.

[A]

What were they doing in Gatlinburg? We've heard crazy stories like they were delivering on doordash.

[B]

Yes. So there was a lady that spoke up on Facebook, and she said, oh, my goodness, this was the same couple that gave me my doordash order the other night. And she was very, very worried because once they dropped the food off to her, she went inside and watched them and they both got out of the car to deliver the food to her. And then when she went back inside her home, they wouldn't leave. They just stood around her property. Property for some time. And at that point she's like, what are these people doing? And then the next morning they show up on the news for murder. So she's like, oh my goodness, I feel like my life was spared. To me, what it sounds like is they were on the run from the crime that they committed and they were door dashing as a way to make a means to go place to place. So you understand that you are wanted over in North Carolina. Four kidnapping and then three counts of first degree murder. You understand that they are wanting you for those? Yes, sir.

[A]

Now he's waived his, his right to extradition, so we're going to be seeing him back down in North Carolina. One thing that I hear, I hear in sort of like what you're saying is that it does sound like she, because she was so young, that she could have been groomed, right? Is that what you're thinking happened?

[B]

Considering the nature of the relationship between the two, I definitely feel like that's a huge play in the matter of those two, especially her being so young and him being a lot older.

[A]

Did you share that that Star had waived her right to an attorney when she was questioned?

[B]

That's correct. And that is the weird part about it is because at 16, you don't know your rights. I'm 32. I don't even know my rights.

[A]

How do you know she did?

[B]

It's like. So that was on the, on the last report that they posted, it was disclosed. So it's like, how do you expect a 16 year old to know her rights? Of course she's going to waive them.

[A]

I mean, as far as trying to come to grips with what's next. As far as trying to set up a funeral for your aunt and uncle and grandmother. Tell me, tell me where you're at with that process. What's going on right now.

[B]

Yeah, we're not even close for that. You're talking three funerals that most people you know can't even afford one. They are all sent to Winston Salem for autopsies. They should be back in the Asheville area sometime early this week that we were told. I know that just because of the crimes that were committed, it will not be a normal funeral session for, I'm assuming for most of Them, so. And with Travis and his mother, I don't really know his side of the family. And I'm really hoping that we could. We can figure something out for, you know, their remains. Because to my understanding, if no one comes forward to claim them, it has to be immediate family, then the state will take them and. And basically just throw them out. And it's like no one wants that to happen. They all need to be together.

[A]

You posted this. Beautiful. You said, this is how I will always choose to remember my family. Before headlines, before rumors. This is my family, my blood, my memories. No matter what comes from this investigation, this has shattered our family in ways words can't explain. I don't think people understand what it's like to watch your loved ones become a news story overnight. Why is this important? Why is this important for people to understand for you?

[B]

Because there's a lot of judgment in the world, and there is not enough forgiving.

[A]

It's heartbreaking.

[B]

And through it all, they both deserve to be forgiven.

[A]

And that's what you're looking for, is forgiveness from people?

[B]

Yeah, clarity and forgiveness. And to be able to find the good out of the worst possible situations. And that. And that's what this is. This is one of the worst possible cases that anyone could ever imagine going through. And if we continue to stay sour and bitter about this, we will never be able to have closure.

[A]

What does justice look like in that?

[B]

Just. Just closure? Yeah. Just disclosure. I. You know, I feel like everyone has to pay the price for their actions, but it's. It's a hard situation. Whenever you're close to God, you're supposed to forgive no matter what. And it's not our place to judge anyone. You just gotta pray for both of them. I feel bad for both. I mean, we have three deceased family members. We have one family member that is in a lot of trouble and we may not ever see again. And then we have this man that who knows. Who knows what he's all about and what he's been through. But everyone needs to find some sort of peace in this.

[A]

Brittany, you're so amazing to be able to send that message out right now with all the pain you're dealing with, what is the memories that you're going to hold on to?

[B]

So when my aunt was pregnant with Star. Star is our miracle baby. My aunt lost several pregnancies before she conceived Star. And she. Star was stubborn in that belly. She was not wanting to come out. My aunt Kim was ready, and I was like, you know what? I'm to get her out. I know exactly what to do. And my aunt, she taught me all my music tastes, and I was like, you know what? I'm. I'm gonna put the headphones on your belly, and I'm gonna blare some music. I'm gonna get that baby out. And it was in minutes, and she was. She was in this world.

[A]

Unbelievable. And she was ready to come out.

[B]

Yeah, she was. Yep.

[A]

Is that the star that you're gonna remember?

[B]

Yeah, that's the only star I knew. Yeah, she was a precious, funky little girl. Yeah, she's our little. She was awesome. She's our star,

[A]

I hear. Is that your mom over there? Well, tell her I'm so sorry that she's going through this.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

And I hope that you guys get the closure that you do need. And we'll be watching this case carefully. And if you want to come back and talk to me about it as we sort of find out what. What went wrong, I'd love to hear it, but do you have anything else that you wanted to add?

[B]

No. I don't know if you are the praying type, but if you could, you know, keep your thoughts and prayers for the family, that's all you can do right now.

[A]

Always. Brittany, you are incredibly brave to come on and talk to me about this, and I really appreciate it. Thank you. We'll be tracking this case closely and getting you all the updates, making sure that you get the story behind the headline. Be sure to like and subscribe. Also, I'll be in Vegas for CrimeCon. It's at the end of the month, and I'm going to be hosting a couple of panels. I hope you're going to come. We get 10% off if you put Criminally Obsessed at checkout at the Crimecon website. That's Criminally obsessed. One word, 10% off your tickets, and I can't wait to see you there.