On Friday, October 13, 2023, a beloved 76-year-old woman was fatally shot in her home near the College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas. The victim, Irene “AnNee” Gray, was discovered by officers responding to a house on North Amburn Road following a “welfare concern” call. Preliminary investigations confirmed the cause of her death to be injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
One week after the incident, Sherene Lavett Washington-Harper, the victim’s 54-year-old daughter, was arrested on a murder warrant.
The situation took a more tragic turn when it was revealed that Gray’s granddaughter, Irene Smith, and Smith’s three children were in the home during the incident. According to Smith, her eight-year-old made the emergency 911 call to report the incident.
In an interview with Houston station KHOU, Smith revealed the tense family dynamic. She said that her mother, Washington-Harper, the accused, was largely absent from her life as the years passed. Gray assumed a maternal role in Smith’s life due to the absence of her own mother. Smith further shared that the accused had a history of drug abuse, and ongoing tensions existed due to Gray’s attempts to evict her daughter from the family home prior to the unfortunate event.
“Growing up, we were very close, but as I entered adulthood, we became estranged, almost non-existent,” Smith shared, recounting her relationship with her mother, Washington-Harper.
Her family and close acquaintances fondly remembered Gray for her positive and peaceful demeanor.
In an effort to raise funds for the funeral expenses, Smith started a GoFundMe campaign. Through the campaign, Smith paid tribute to her late grandmother, lovingly referred to as “Momo” and “Ms. TNT” by those who knew her. She described “Momo” as the life of any gathering, someone who never treated anyone as a stranger and someone who would go to great lengths for her loved ones. The fundraiser also highlighted Gray’s cherished titles in her community, including that of a great-grandmother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.
As the investigation progresses, Washington-Harper faces charges of murder and a separate charge of the terroristic threat of a family member, which predates the recent incident. Current records from Galveston County show that Washington-Harper is detained with a combined bond set at $250,000. Trial dates for the charges she faces have yet to be determined.
