The man accused of killing his grandparents, sister and infant nephew in Edgerton in 2016 may undergo a mental examination prior to his death penalty trial, scheduled for next year.
Grayden Denham, 28, is accused of the murder of four of his relatives and arson of the family home. Early this year, his trial — which had been delayed several times — was rescheduled for May 2020.
Grayden Denham
Earlier this month, the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office filed a request for a mental evaluation of Denham, which was forwarded to judge James Van Amburg last week. Denham was previously scheduled to appear before Van Amburg in October for a hearing. On Tuesday, the hearing was moved up to Friday, Sept. 6 after Denham’s attorney filed objections to the request for a mental evaluation.
The request references RSMO 552.020, which relates to the mental capacity and possible mental illness of the accused.
The charges against Denham, which were filed after a grand jury indictment, include four counts of first degree murder and four counts of armed criminal action in the Feb. 19, 2016 homicides of his sister Heather Ager, 32, his three-month-old nephew Mason Schiavoni, his grandmother, Shirley Denham, 81, and his grandfather, Russell Denham, 82. Denham is also charged with felony arson for destruction of the family home, a felony for tampering with evidence and a misdemeanor for animal abuse. The felony charge of stealing his grandparents’ vehicle also remained on the indictment.
The four victims and the accused were residents of the same house at 4170 Buena Vista Road in Edgerton, although Grayden Denham has been called only an occasional occupant.
When authorities responded to reports of a house fire at the home on Feb. 19, they found four victims shot with the bodies still burning outside of the house. Three of the victims were found in the front yard, while Russell Denham’s body was located near an outbuilding with a red plastic gasoline container found nearby. A family dog was also found shot and burning at the scene.
Authorities apprehended Denham two days later while he was walking naked in Seligman, Ariz. They also located a brown 2012 Nissan Versa at a nearby hotel. The vehicle, belonging to Russell and Shirley Denham, was discovered missing during the fire/homicide investigation. Denham was not a registered guest at the hotel, and authorities also found a pile of clothing outside of the vehicle.
Denham was charged in Platte County with the theft of the Versa, which when it was found bore Oklahoma license plates taken from a rental car. He remained in custody in Yavapi County, Ariz. until an extradition process on that theft charge brought him back to Platte County.
Denham remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center on a $4 million cash-only bond.