AUBURNDALE, FL - A Florida teenager was arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder following the death of his mother, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The 17-year-old, identified as Collin Griffith, had previously been cleared of killing his father in Oklahoma, allegedly in self-defense. He now faces first-degree murder charges after telling 911 dispatchers that his mother "fell into a knife" on Sunday after the two had a "very long fight."
As reported by WFLA, when the teenager called 911 on Sunday evening he claimed that during the argument, his mother, Catherine Griffith, 39, lunged at him with the knife and fell onto it, sustaining a deep stab wound to her neck in the process. Griffith was found dead at the scene by responding deputies.
Speaking with Fox News, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters, "When you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him, I see a psychopath. I see totally erratic behavior to the point that he’s already, at 17 years of age, shot and killed his father and got away with it and stabbed his mother in the neck so hard that the knife went all the way through."
Sheriff Judd is pushing the state attorney's office to try the teenager as an adult and said he's confident he would re-offend if released. "Now he’s killed two people and killed his mother and father, and I can assure you – beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt – based upon his conduct, had he gone to live with his grandmother at the end of this, and she crossed him, she would be next."
Sheriff's deputies found the 17-year-old at his grandmother's home in a 55+ community near Tampa. Sheriff Judd described him as being "calm, cool, collected – and he had blood on him." Witnesses allegedly saw the teenager and his mother trading shouts outside the home until he grabbed his mother by the hair and dragged her into the house as she begged him to let her go.
The sheriff told reporters Wednesday that the medical examiner had found Griffith's injuries to be inconsistent with an accidental injury. "The medical examiner said it's just not reasonable or plausible that she died the way that he said she did," he said. "It just didn't happen."
According to The New York Post, Sheriff Judd called the attack a "cold-blooded murder."
The outlet added that Collin had a history of violent attacks against his mother, most recently "stomping" her in an assault that led to a term in a state mental facility. After his release, he reportedly threatened to kill his mother and himself. In February 2023, Collin was charged with the fatal shooting of his father Charles in the chest and head but was later acquitted when he argued self-defense.
In addition to first-degree-murder Collin is also being charged with kidnapping and violation of a no-contact order.
As reported by WFLA, when the teenager called 911 on Sunday evening he claimed that during the argument, his mother, Catherine Griffith, 39, lunged at him with the knife and fell onto it, sustaining a deep stab wound to her neck in the process. Griffith was found dead at the scene by responding deputies.
Speaking with Fox News, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters, "When you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him, I see a psychopath. I see totally erratic behavior to the point that he’s already, at 17 years of age, shot and killed his father and got away with it and stabbed his mother in the neck so hard that the knife went all the way through."
JUST IN: 17-year-old in Florida was arrested for stabbing his mother to de-th a year after she bailed him out for kill-ng his father
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) September 12, 2024
'When you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him I see a psychopath,' Sheriff Grady Judd said
Collin Griffith, 17, was arrested for… pic.twitter.com/6T5sKEJGSC
Sheriff Judd is pushing the state attorney's office to try the teenager as an adult and said he's confident he would re-offend if released. "Now he’s killed two people and killed his mother and father, and I can assure you – beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt – based upon his conduct, had he gone to live with his grandmother at the end of this, and she crossed him, she would be next."
Sheriff's deputies found the 17-year-old at his grandmother's home in a 55+ community near Tampa. Sheriff Judd described him as being "calm, cool, collected – and he had blood on him." Witnesses allegedly saw the teenager and his mother trading shouts outside the home until he grabbed his mother by the hair and dragged her into the house as she begged him to let her go.
The sheriff told reporters Wednesday that the medical examiner had found Griffith's injuries to be inconsistent with an accidental injury. "The medical examiner said it's just not reasonable or plausible that she died the way that he said she did," he said. "It just didn't happen."
According to The New York Post, Sheriff Judd called the attack a "cold-blooded murder."
The outlet added that Collin had a history of violent attacks against his mother, most recently "stomping" her in an assault that led to a term in a state mental facility. After his release, he reportedly threatened to kill his mother and himself. In February 2023, Collin was charged with the fatal shooting of his father Charles in the chest and head but was later acquitted when he argued self-defense.
In addition to first-degree-murder Collin is also being charged with kidnapping and violation of a no-contact order.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments