Writer Phoebe Adebayo recounts the sad tragedy of the death of British student Tami Odunsi, who moved to Texas to study nursing, but whose life got taken just a day before her graduation.
It was the day before Elizabeth Tami Odunsi’s graduation. The 23-year-old student nurse from east London was studying Nursing at Texas Woman’s University.
She was excited to graduate, the culmination of three years of hard work. That day never came.
Instead of a peaceful end to their time as flatmates, a pointless argument over their cats turned deadly.
Chester Lamar Grant, 40, stabbed 23-year-old Tami up to 28 times, leaving her lifeless on the kitchen floor.
Tami had moved to Texas aged 17, chasing a dream of becoming a nurse.
Her plan was to graduate and earn her well deserved nursing pin and return home to the UK.
On April 26, around 3pm, police were called to their shared home on Gorforth Street for a welfare check.
A family friend in America had raised the alarm after Tami stopped responding to calls.
When officers arrived, they found blood on the porch.
With no response at the door, they forced their way in and found Tami’s body in the kitchen.
Grant was found in a bedroom with a stab wound to his neck.
He had tried to take his own life but was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Grant was arrested and charged with her murder on May 2nd. Police confirmed the fatal argument was allegedly over their cats.
Just one day after her death, on what should have been her graduation day, Tami’s family sat in the audience.
Her sister Georgina walked the stage in tears to collect her nursing pin in her honour.
Her selflessness aspired her in being one of the best nurses in the world.
Tami was seen as a sweet, selfless, loving girl. This was televised on her TikTok account known as @Tamidollars, she shared her nursing journey with nearly 60,000 followers on TikTok.
Her last video was posted on April 21, just days before her death.
The caption read: “BSN grad in 2 weeks, vacations booked, summer is 14 days away, starting to look human again, I’m readyyyyy.”
“She was sweet, inspiring, and full of life,” said Akunna Osadolor, 22, a friend from secondary school.
“She had so much planned. That man robbed her of everything over an argument?
“I messaged her about meeting up this summer. She replied. I didn’t respond right away… and then the news broke.”
Tami went to St Angela’s Ursuline School in Forest Gate, East London, where she made some of her best memories.
After graduating in Texas, she was set to return home for good.
Sources say that the memorial service is to be held on June 4th near her home in East London.
On social media platforms such as TikTok, friends and family have created videos based on their life journey with her, with several captioning them as “I had the privilege of going to school with Tami, everyone loved her.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Tami’s younger sister to help bring her body home and fund a funeral that Tami would have deserved.
“Tami was a beautiful soul, full of light, ambition and kindness, she was just 23 years old,” she wrote.
The fundraiser has raised nearly £79,000 exceeding its £70,000 goal with more than 3,600 donations. Social media is flooded with tributes, videos, and messages of support.
“This is devastating. May God give you strength,” one donor wrote.
Tami’s university has since offered counselling to grieving students left shaken by her loss.
