First court appearance delayed in Fairview family killings case

A routine first appearance for Star Melody Grant and Devan O’Neal Loving did not go forward Monday in Buncombe County Superior Court, delaying the first public court step after the June 2 indictments in the Fairview family killings case. No plea was entered, and the postponement leaves relatives of Travis Eugene Grant, Kimberly Michelle Grant and Sharon Harwood Grant waiting longer for the formal hearing where the charges are read and the next court dates are set.

Defense attorney Doug Edwards said the proceeding was purely procedural and that logistical issues, including transportation, contributed to the delay. Kerry Glasoe-Grant, who represents Loving, said the hearing was the first court setting after indictment and the matter could be rescheduled for sometime in September. The case remains in an early stage while discovery continues and each side keeps investigating.

The case began with unanswered calls and welfare checks at 18 Ashworth Drive in Fairview, near Asheville. Deputies checked the home on May 4 and May 6 before entering on May 7, when they found Travis Eugene Grant, 41, Kimberly Michelle Grant, 42, and Sharon Harwood Grant, 66, dead inside. Authorities later said the victims were shot. Star Melody Grant and Loving were arrested in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on May 8 without incident, and Grant waived extradition in Sevier County before returning to Buncombe County on May 13.

Grant faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony conspiracy. Loving faces first-degree murder charges and child abduction charges because Grant is a juvenile. Under North Carolina law, 16-year-olds charged with first-degree murder are prosecuted as adults, which is why Grant’s case began in adult court rather than juvenile court. Grant was being held without bond in a juvenile detention facility in Alexander County, while Loving was expected to be extradited to the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

Investigators have not publicly named a motive. On June 9, prosecutors said the victims had been shot and stabbed and that their wallets were missing.