Teenager charged with murder of mother and arrested for murder of father

A Florida teenager has been charged with what authorities called a “cold-blooded murder.” The incident occurred less than two years after he was arrested, although he was never charged, for shooting his father in Oklahoma. The charges related to the fatal stabbing attack on his mother.

Polk County Sheriff's Office officials responded to a 911 call from a mobile home in the Hamptons, a senior living community in Auburndale, around 6 p.m. Sunday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference Wednesday.

The city is located in Central Florida, about halfway between Orlando and Tampa.

The teenager told emergency services that his mother “fell on a knife” after they got into an argument, Judd told reporters.

The caller claimed his mother, Catherine Griffith, 39, attacked him with a knife and fell on it, suffering a stab wound to the neck, Judd said.

5 shots in southeast Virginia:2 dead, 3 injured in shooting near bus stop in Suffolk

Teenager accused of murdering his mother demands immediate interview with a lawyer

When officers arrived and found the teenager outside the trailer, he immediately asked to speak to a lawyer, Judd said, because he knew his legal rights.

“It’s a cold-blooded murder,” Judd said.

Inside the house, officers found that Griffith had been stabbed in the neck with a 12-inch kitchen knife. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The mobile home belongs to the teenager's grandmother, who was living in a second home in the Keys at the time of the murder, according to authorities.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the interior of the home was neat and clean and there was no evidence of a physical altercation.

During Griffin's autopsy on Monday, the medical examiner determined that she died from a deep knife wound to the neck that was not consistent with an accidental injury.

“The coroner said it was neither plausible nor believable that she died in this way. [the teen] said she did it,” Judd said.

“Let me go!”

Witnesses told police they saw the two arguing outside the house earlier that day before the boy grabbed his mother by the hair and dragged her into the house.

“Let me go!” Judd said Griffith begged at the time.

During an interview with police, the grandmother told investigators about previous instances in which the teenager had physically or verbally threatened his mother, Judd said. There had also been several death threats.

Last September, the teenager was hospitalized in nearby Charlotte County, where he lives, under the state's Baker Act, which allows any person deemed a threat to themselves or others to be held for 72 hours for psychiatric evaluation.

After his release, Judd reported, the teenager said, “I'm going to kill myself or shoot or stab my mother.” The teenager was re-arrested under the Baker Act and held for three more days.

Three months later, the teenager was arrested for domestic violence against his mother after his mother disciplined him by taking away his video game privileges, after which he pushed her to the ground and stomped on her, Judd said.

Then, in February, the teen had an argument with his mother and fled Charlotte County to his grandmother's home in Auburndale. Polk officials were called in because the grandmother said the family did not feel safe, and since the teen was reported missing, the boy was turned over to the state Department of Children and Families.

“My son is not a monster”:Mother of Georgia suspect apologizes in letter

Teenager charged with murder of his mother, arrested in Oklahoma for murder of his father

In February 2023, the teenager was arrested by police in Oklahoma in connection with the killing of his father after claiming his father pulled a knife on him and shot him in the head and chest.

He was charged with first-degree murder, but the charges were dropped shortly afterward because authorities said they could not disprove the teenager's claim that he was acting in self-defense.

The sheriff's office has asked the district attorney to charge the teenager as an adult

The teenager remained in custody at the Polk County Jail on Friday. He was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping, Judd said.

The sheriff's office, Judd said, has asked the district attorney's office for the 10th Judicial District, which includes Polk County, to charge the teenager as an adult.

Teenager charged with murder of mother and arrested for murder of father

You may also like...

Recent Posts

Teenager charged with murder of mother and arrested for murder of father

You may also like...

Russian plane spotted near Alaska for the third time in a week

Snipers kill inmates who stabbed prison guards and took others hostage in Russian prison

New OPPO Find X8 leak shows promising specs and hints at early launch

Recent Posts