Actor Kelsey Grammer is publishing a book detailing the murder of his younger sister, Karen Grammer, nearly 50 years ago. The memoir, titled "Karen: A Brother Remembers," is scheduled for release on Tuesday, May 6, coinciding with the anniversary of her death.
The book recounts the events surrounding Karen Grammer's killing in July 1975 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the lasting impact it had on Kelsey Grammer. He was 20 years old when he learned his 18-year-old sister had been found dead.
According to a retelling of the police report shared by Grammer, his sister was waiting for a friend after her shift at a Red Lobster restaurant when three men arrived with plans to rob the establishment. They saw her and forced her into a car at gunpoint.
Karen Grammer was reportedly tied up, taken to an apartment where she was raped multiple times, then driven to an alley and stabbed 42 times. The memoir includes details of her final moments, including crawling for help after being left for dead.
Freddie Glenn was convicted of murdering Karen Grammer and two other men in separate incidents that same month. He was originally sentenced to death, but this was later changed to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 1978.
Glenn is serving a life sentence for the murders and has been denied parole four times since 2009. His next parole hearing is set for 2027. Kelsey Grammer has spoken publicly against Glenn's release, stating that he intends the book to provide "ammunition to keep Freddie Glenn in jail."
In the years following his sister's murder, and having lost his father to murder several years prior, Grammer discussed grappling with grief. He has spoken about turning to alcohol and substance use as coping mechanisms, which resulted in multiple legal issues between 1988 and 1996 and a stay at the Betty Ford Center.
Despite personal struggles, Grammer continued his acting career, notably on the NBC sitcoms "Cheers" and the successful spinoff "Frasier." He stated that he learned he is a person who does not quit, even while processing immense personal pain.
Another man convicted in connection with Karen Grammer's murder, Michael Corbett, died in prison in 2019. The identity of a third accomplice remains unknown.
Kelsey Grammer has expressed that while he can offer forgiveness, it does not absolve accountability. "I can give you forgiveness, but you’re not going to get out of paying for it," he said regarding his sister's killer.
