Laura Lester & Matthew Powell have some explaining to do.  The two are currently engaged and living together at Mr. Powell’s residence, but such wasn’t always the case.  Laura Lester once had a best friend and Matthew Powell had a beautiful girlfriend that he allegedly loved and cared deeply for.  This story sheds light into a multitude of strange behaviors, drugs & outright betrayal.  Something doesn’t quite add up either…

On September 26th, 2018, Courtney Diane Grills of Lorain Ohio passed away suddenly and without notice in her boyfriends bed. She left behind a wonderful mother, father, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. Courtney also had a best friend and a boyfriend at the time of her passing. Laura Lester being her best friend and Matthew Powell being her boyfriend.

Close Friend:  “Courtney was a sweet, wonderful, caring, kind, and overall happy person.  She loved life and I thought she was doing really good.  She seemed like she had gotten sober, I really truly thought she had.  I’ll never forget the memories we shared and I just want to get to the bottom of what may or may not have happened to her.”

Based on several reports, Courtney was discovered by Mr. Powell in their bed when he was on his way to work on the morning of the 26th.  According to numerous friends Laura and Courtney would use drugs together.  Laura however has stated that she didn’t progress to using heroin and that she stopped before things had gotten too far for her.  Matthew Powell has been reported as being a heroin user and the individual that sold Courtney the heroin has never been outed.  Laura Lester also (according to her own admission) witnessed her friend being removed from Mr. Powell’s bedroom.   Laura and Courtney knew each other since the 3rd grade, the two were extremely close and considered themselves to be like sisters.

Not So Fun Fact:  As of this writing there have been no arrests made in Courtney Grills death.  

In traditional circumstances and in a normal world when a best friend or significant other loses someone so dear to them there is a grieving period.  That grieving period can take weeks, months, years and even an entire lifetime to truly find some solace.  You wouldn’t expect to see someone out gallivanting around town with brimming smiles from ear to ear.  You wouldn’t expect someone to simply pick up right where they left off and move on in life as if nothing happened – at least not right away…

Not only did Courtney’s best friend and boyfriend act almost as if nothing had happened, but aside from a few FaceBook posts and tears shed at Courtney’s funeral – you would have never guessed that these two suffered any sort of permanent and sincere loss…

Not even a full 72 hours after Courtney’s death Laura Lester & Matthew Powell were found cuddling in the very same bed that Courtney had passed away on.  Then just a few days later Powell and Lester officially made their relationship status concrete via FaceBook.  Laura Lester was in a relationship with another individual and had just broken up with him two days prior to her new relationship with Matthew Powell.

Laura immediately moved in with Matthew.  Her best friends boyfriend was now her boyfriend, her best friends bed was now her bed, and perhaps she had gotten everything she had always wanted all along…

Then, as if things weren’t already a bit much for many of Courtney’s friends and family members, things took an even more bizarre twist.  On October 18th, 2018, not even a full 3 weeks into Laura Lester & Matthew Powell’s newfound relationship, Matthew proposed to Laura and she quickly accepted.  The couple was officially engaged!

COBRA Says:  Alright, so, the timeline of things is moving quickly, this is not-understandable for Mr. Powell being that he is in his 30’s and should have utilized some extreme caution prior to proceeding into a relationship with Courtney’s best friend (who should have clearly been traumatized from what happened).  Again, regarding Laura, she lost a lifelong friend and the heartache was unbearable, however, how being able to sleep in the same bed with the same man that was your best friends is a truly troubling question.  Truly troubling due to the time frame and the surrounding facts related to Courtney’s death and where her body was found…  I just don’t know what to say here, so I will say nothing more.

Furious Friends

The screenshots below show conversations between several close friends of Courtney’s voicing their frustration and disgust over the newly formed relationship between her best friend and boyfriend.

Who is Matthew Powell?

Matthew Powell is in his 30’s and has been dating several high school girls in Lorain and Elyria over the course of the past decade.  It has been rumored that Mr. Powell was possibly responsible for the fatal overdose that Courtney consumed the night of her death.

The screenshots below give insight as to where Mr. Powell works and also shows a FaceBook post that he made to Courtney Grills (his girlfriend) just a few days after she had passed.  He was already seeing Laura Lester by the time that he made the post so it just makes the whole situation a bit more confusing.

The Bottom Line:  Sometimes people cope with one another and being that both had something in common with the lost loved one they found common ground and instant relief by being near and with one another.   However, it should be noted that Mr. Powell is considerably older and should have reserved some restraint when making this (obviously) poor decision.

SCUMBAGGED Tip:  You never truly know who people are and what people think or have embedded deep down within their hearts and minds, and with that being said I’m not providing any sort of tip on this article due to the sensitive nature of all parties involved.

Addiction Assistance & Information:  The Wellington Police Department offers immediate inpatient treatment (even if you have a warrant in some cases) through their LINC program.  If you are suffering from addiction give them a call at (440) 647-2244 or even contact them via messenger on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wellington-Police-Department-759508177392915/