In Ohio, a 59-year-old man named Randall Grinwis is facing a life sentence in prison for the brutal killing of his long-time girlfriend, Donna Hyma. The tragic incident occurred during a heated argument concerning their living situation, where Grinwis resorted to using his forearm to strangle Hyma, leading to her untimely death. Following the incident, Grinwis confessed to authorities that he had “snapped.”

On Friday, a jury in Ottawa County delivered a guilty verdict against Grinwis for second-degree murder in the death of 63-year-old Hyma, which took place in 2024. Court documents also reveal that Grinwis was found guilty of larceny, valued between $1,000 and $20,000, for pilfering from Hyma’s brother shortly after the murder.

The tragic sequence of events began on January 1, 2024, when deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for a welfare check. The call directed them to a residence located on Patti Place in Zeeland Township, approximately 165 miles northwest of Detroit. According to a report by WXMI, a Grand Rapids Fox affiliate, upon arrival, first responders discovered Hyma unresponsive and tragically pronounced her dead at the location.

Initially, Hyma’s death was considered suspicious but was thought to be from natural causes. However, Grinwis was quickly identified as a person of interest after he disappeared. It was only after conducting an autopsy that the cause of death was confirmed to be manual asphyxiation.

Further investigations revealed a disturbing sequence of events. After killing Hyma, Grinwis fled the scene, taking several items from their shared residence. He stole $1,800 in cash from Hyma’s brother, used the money to drive to Chicago, and subsequently booked a flight to Las Vegas. This information was reported by the Holland Sentinel, shedding light on Grinwis’s attempt to evade justice.

Investigators then learned Grinwis killed Hyma and stole several items from their home before fleeing to Las Vegas. Specifically, Grinwis swiped $1,800 in cash from Hyma’s brother, drove to Chicago, and then used the stolen funds to book a flight to Las Vegas, the Holland Sentinel reported.

Hyma’s brother, who lived with the couple, testified he had given his sister his bank card to withdraw the $1,800 for him and asked her to put it in a lockbox in his room. The brother was not staying in the home at the time of the murder due to a recent surgery.

Grinwis remained in Las Vegas for two weeks before he reportedly ran out of money, turned himself in, and confessed to killing Hyma on Jan. 15, 2024.

In the taped admission, Grinwis said he and Hyma got into an argument over their living arrangements while drinking heavily. At some point, Grinwis said Hyma was sitting on the couch when he approached her from behind, placed his forearm across her neck, and applied pressure until she stopped moving.

After failing to find a pulse, Grinwis packed a bag, took the lockbox money, and drove away from the home. While driving, Grinwis said he “felt guilty” and placed the 911 call requesting a welfare check before tossing his phone out the window.

A recording of the confession was played during trial, with jurors hearing Grinwis telling detectives how he just “snapped,” according to the Sentinel.

“She was saying some really crazy s— and I’m telling on myself right now and I snapped,” he said on the tape. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

He went on to say that he could not remember exactly what made him lose his temper.

“I don’t know what made me snap,” Grinwis reportedly said. “I honestly don’t. That’s what hurts the most for me.”

Grinwis faces a possible life sentence when he appears in court again for his sentencing hearing on March 30.