Teenager accused of murdering his mother will be tried as an adult; investigators re-evaluate father's death

BARTOW, Florida. – A 17-year-old boy accused of stabbing his mother to death in Polk County is now on trial as an adult. More than a year earlier, he was also accused of killing his father in Oklahoma.

Collin Griffith appeared in court for the first time on Friday afternoon. He was charged with malicious assault and kidnapping.

Eric Reyes says he became Catherine Griffith's attorney last November when her son Collin was charged with domestic violence. The incident occurred at their Port Charlotte home.

“Catherine did everything for him,” Reyes said. “She helped him in school. She tutored him. He had a high school diploma, a car and a job. He had a life. Her love is undying and in this case, unfortunately, it caused her death.”

A Polk County grand jury indicted the teenager on first-degree murder charges after officials said he killed Catherine at his grandmother's Auburndale home last week.

Investigators say Collin called 911 around 6 p.m. after saying he and his mother had been arguing. He claimed his mother came at him with a knife and then fell on top of him, resulting in a deep stab wound to her neck. However, Sheriff Grady Judd said that could not have happened.

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“Kay,” a resident of the Hamptons community, told FOX 13 she was house-sitting her neighbor, Collin's grandmother, who lived in the Florida Keys. While sitting on the porch, she witnessed an altercation outside.

“They were yelling at each other and he grabbed her and dragged her into the house. Like I said, I don't know what happened inside. I really don't. I feel so sorry for the grandmother. She's a friend of mine and I really feel sorry for the whole family.”

“I made the decision to charge the 17-year-old as an adult based on the egregious facts and circumstances of this case,” said District Attorney Brian Haas of the 10th Judicial District. “Charging a minor as an adult is not a decision I make lightly, but as a prosecutor, it is my responsibility to do so when it is warranted.”

Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office

Investigators in Oklahoma say Collin also shot his father in February last year after claiming his father pulled a knife on him, but the charges were later dropped because he claimed self-defense.

“Polk County law enforcement continues to work with authorities in Oklahoma to ensure they are provided with all relevant information and evidence so they can evaluate their case as they deem necessary,” Haas said.

Reyes says Collin threatened to kill Catherine on multiple occasions and she tried to get her son help and counseling. She even asked DCF to remove her son from her home because she feared for her own safety, but the agency refused.

“DCF says, 'Hey, you better leave him because we have no place to put him,'” Reyes said. “Catherine was a teacher and she loved teaching kids. She had a license and she could lose her license and be charged with suspension because 'we have no other place to put Collin.'”

Despite the clear warning signs, Reyes says Catherine didn't see it coming.

“No mother or parent wants to believe that their own son will brutally murder them by stabbing them in the neck,” Reyes said. “That is unthinkable.”

Collin is being held without bail in the Polk County Jail and his next court date is in October.

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