A Michigan judge sentenced 59-year-old Randall Alan Grinwis to 32½ to 90 years in prison for second-degree murder in the 2024 strangling death of his girlfriend of 20 years, Donna Hyma. The killing occurred during an argument over living arrangements on New Year's Day. Grinwis was also convicted of stealing $1,800 from Hyma's brother.
Ottawa County Circuit Judge Karen Miedema imposed the sentence on Monday after a jury convicted Grinwis of second-degree murder and felony larceny. The maximum term of 90 years means the 59-year-old will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, court records show. Grinwis declined to speak before sentencing, while Hyma's family expressed deep betrayal in court statements. Hyma's daughter, Lisa Vanderyacht, told the judge, 'I trusted him with her life, and now I have to live with that for the rest of mine.' She added, 'I lost two people that day — my mother and the man I thought I knew for 20 years.' Vanderyacht rejected Grinwis's claim of snapping, saying, 'Nothing about that day was different. He just snapped.' Prosecutors emphasized the deliberate nature of the attack. 'This was not a snap,' one said. 'He had 40 seconds to change his mind, but he continued pressing down on her.' Judge Miedema called it 'a very sad situation' that was 'totally avoidable,' telling Grinwis, 'You had options … but you chose a very drastic and very evil option.' The incident took place on New Year's Day 2024 in the couple's Zeeland Township home. Deputies found Hyma, 63, unresponsive on a couch during a wellness check; an autopsy ruled her death a homicide by asphyxiation from Grinwis pressing his forearm on her throat. He confirmed her death by checking for a pulse, then stole money from her brother, fled across the Midwest to Las Vegas, gambled until broke, and surrendered to police. In a recorded confession played at trial, Grinwis said, 'She was saying some really crazy s— and I'm telling on myself right now and I snapped.'