morbidology:Gina Grant, the daughter of Charles Grant and Dorothy Mayfield, grew up in Lexington, South Carolina, with one older sister. Her father died of lung cancer when she was just 11, following which she and her sister lived with her mother, who struggled with alcoholism.On September 13, 1990, 14-year-old Gina bludgeoned her mother to death with a crystal candlestick, striking her 13 times. In an attempt to cover up the crime, she staged her mother’s death to appear as a suicide, but the police soon uncovered the truth.During the investigation, Grant’s story changed several times. She initially claimed her mother had attacked her and then stabbed herself in the throat. After the discovery of the candlestick, Gina admitted to the killing, claiming it was in self-defense. Her mother’s history of alcohol abuse and alleged physical violence became part of the defense.Gina eventually pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and served a year in juvenile detention. Her boyfriend at the time also served nearly a year for being an accessory after the fact.After her release, Gina relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to live with relatives. She attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, where she excelled academically and in extracurricular activities. Her efforts earned her a place at Harvard University in 1995.However, after a Boston Globe article about her past surfaced, revealing the details of her mother’s death, Harvard rescinded her admission. Despite criticism from legal scholars and journalists, Harvard, along with other institutions like Columbia and Barnard, stood by their decision to revoke her acceptance.Ultimately, Tufts University allowed Gina to enroll, where she continued her education as part of the class of 1999.