The Tragic Murder Of Christina Grimmie

On June 10, 2016, singer Christina Grimmie was murdered by a fan after a concert in Orlando, Florida. The incident happened less than 48 hours before another tragedy struck Orlando when a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub left 49 people dead.

Grimmie, who was 22 at the time of her death, had been a contestant and fan favorite on NBC’s The Voice, and finished third overall during the season she competed.

The singer was opening up for the band Before You Exit, on June 10, 2016, at the Plaza Live in Orlando, according to NBC News. After her performance she was meeting fans and signing autographs when she was fatally shot.

Josh Call, a witness who was working at a nearby hot dog stand, outside the venue, said he heard four- or five-gunshots.

"It was quick like pow, pow, pow," Call told the Orlando Sentinel. He said he waited until the shots stopped to go inside. That’s when he saw both a man and a woman on the floor bleeding heavily.

"It was horrifying," Call said.

Grimmie was shot by Kevin James Loibl, a 27-year-old from St. Petersburg, Florida.

Authorities told NBC News Loibl traveled to Orlando to commit the crime and then had plans to return there.

Loibl was armed with two handguns, two loaded magazines, and a large knife. He legally purchased the guns days before the murder-suicide, according to reporting by CNN.

Right after he shot Grimmie, her brother Marcus Grimmie, tackled Loibl, “almost immediately,” Orlando Police Chief John Mina told the publication, in 2016. “Shortly after that, the suspect killed himself.”

Police said they tried to find a possible motive for why Loibl killed Grimmie but there was no evidence the two knew each other.

According to CNN, Loibl’s “only friend in the world,” Cory Dennington, told police Loibl became fixated on Grimmie in the year leading up to the fatal shooting.

Dennington said he believed his friend of 15 years “spent most of his waking hours watching Christina on YouTube as well as constantly monitoring her social media accounts.” Despite following her on social media, Loibl himself did not have a Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media account.

In March 2022, a new Grimmie song, “Rule the World,” was released as part of her family’s efforts to keep her legacy alive. A year after the singer was fatally shot, her family started the Christina Grimmie Foundation that helps victims of gun violence.

“Her legacy used to be a compassionate soul who loved everyone around her and she was really talented,” Christina’s brother Marcus Grimmie told the Orlando Sentinel. “Now her name is associated forever with tragedy and loss but now hope of being able to give to people who are affected by gun violence.”

According to their website, the foundation has donated over $350,000 to assist families of gun violence with food, housing, and other expenses.

For more on this case, stream Death by Fame: "Behind the Screen" on discovery+ and Max.