Facebook Roland "Pete" Greaves (left) and Perry Greaves (right)
The fifth episode of A&E’s series Accused: Guilty or Innocent? is titled: “Deadly Driver or Tragic Accident?” It explores a terrible crash involving Jason McCombs in one vehicle and Roland Greaves and his son Perry Greaves in another. While McCombs escaped the crash virtually unharmed, 87-year-old Roland Greaves was killed in the accident and his son, 56-year-old Perry Greaves, was critically injured.
The incident took place near Llano, Texas, a small town northwest of Austin, in July 2016. McCombs was accused of manslaughter in the car crash, and the show followed his case from his perspective, including his defense, trial and how his family was coping with the situation. However, many watching the show will also want an update on Perry Greaves, who remained in critical condition throughout the trial.
Perry Greaves Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in the Accident & Never Recovered; He Died on 17 December 2019
Shortly after the tragic accident on July 10, 2016, a GoFundMe page was set up for Perry Greaves to support his family with medical bills. It stated that he suffered “24 distinct injuries including lacerations and broken bones.” An update from 2018 added that Perry had been moved to seven different facilities in the two years since the crash, “in large part because with his untreated head injury under the care available he has often gotten worse instead of better.”
On December 17, 2019, Perry William Greaves died at the age of 59 from an infection, according to his obituary. The day before his death, his wife Mickey posted on Facebook that “Perry has been under siege to almost all the bacterial headliners of our day” since the car accident. She asked for help finding an infectious disease doctor in New York City that was “working with viruses to fight bacterial infections.”
Peter Greaves wrote a touching tribute to his brother: “Perry was a caring son, a charming brother, a loving husband, a proud father, a crazy uncle, and a fierce friend. Perry was an accomplished painter, a lover of music, an archivist of bad jokes, and always curious. He touched many people in his life with his warmth. We will all miss him each and every day.”
Greaves Was an Artist Who Lived in Brooklyn With His Wife & Son But Was in Texas to Help His Father
Perry Greaves was an artist who lived in Brooklyn, NY, with his family, as per his fundraiser page. He was in Austin, Texas, to help out his father, Roland Greaves, after a cataract surgery. The page’s organizer, Perry’s older brother Peter, said: “Our Dad, Roland E. Greaves, a widower, an avid golfer, and an active 87-year-old, needed help with housework, cooking, errands, and driving as he recovered from cataract surgery.”
An update in October 2018 explained that the accident and Perry’s recovery were “a burden placed on Perry’s wife Mickey and their son Turner, now an 18 year old college freshman.” Perry’s obituary states that he was an “abstract landscape painter” whose work was shown at Apex Art, AAA and K&E Gallery and is collected by the Bacardi Limited company and Susan Berland among others.
The Family Expressed Their Disappointment at the ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict in McCombs’ Case
SNEAK PEEK: A man accused of manslaughter after a tragic car accident meets with his lawyer. Don’t miss what happens on #AccusedAE TOMORROW at 10PM.
The family shared their thoughts on the case on the GoFundMe page. In October 2018, Peter Greaves posted an update, saying:
We were dealt a devastating blow with the end of the criminal trial in early October 2018 that found the accused not guilty, in spite of all the factual evidence, compelling testimony by four Texas State Troopers, and the strong case put on by the District Attorneys office. The jury’s decision feels very wrong, but this is our unfortunate closure.
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