Jury selection begins in trial of man accused of stabbing DeKalb County pastor

DEKALB COUNTY, Georgia. – Jury selection is set to begin soon in the trial of a man accused of stabbing to death a DeKalb County pastor who was serving as his counselor.

Christopher Griggs is charged with first-degree murder and arson in connection with the death of Reverend Marita Harrell.

On May 18, 2022, Harrell's husband and eldest daughter found her body in a burned-out van parked on a remote stretch of Coffee Road in DeKalb County, according to authorities.

Griggs, then 27, was arrested the next day. Police said investigators tracked Griggs through the pastor's phone. Pastor Harrell had a counseling session with her the same night Griggs was found dead, investigators said.

Investigators accused Griggs of stabbing Harrell to death in his Panola Road home, dumping her body in her pickup truck, driving to the remote location and trying to cover up the crime by setting a fire.

Investigators search a home on Panola Road for evidence related to the stabbing attack of a DeKalb County pastor on May 19, 2022. (FOX 5)

FOX 5 learned that Griggs was out on bail at the time of the murder, awaiting trial in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.

Christopher Griggs' problematic past

Griggs has faced several legal problems in recent years. One of those cases was scheduled to go to court a month before Harrell's death, but records show he never showed up. Gwinnett County Judge Deborah R. Fluker issued a warrant for Griggs' arrest earlier this month after he failed to show up for a hearing on April 28.

His charges date back to August 2020, when Griggs, according to police, walked onto the premises of a Gwinnett County car dealership disguised as a detective, carrying handcuffs, a gun and a badge. He claimed a vehicle brought in for repairs was part of a hit-and-run investigation and he needed to take it, witnesses told investigators. The young man then drove off the premises. Police said the dealer followed him and eventually confronted him, not believing Griggs. Eventually, police say, Griggs told investigators that the vehicle belonged to a family member and he was trying to swap good parts for faulty ones from another vehicle so that the insurance company would end up paying for it.

Griggs was booked into the Gwinnett County Adult Detention Center, where he would spend the next two months. According to jail records, he was only free for 12 days before he was arrested again for impersonating a police officer. This time, however, DeKalb County police say he sexually assaulted a woman. Griggs was wearing a tactical police uniform, investigators said, when he approached the woman in a parking garage on Redan Road, detained her, and subdued her with threats of arrest. The woman was able to escape and call 911.

After a month in jail, Griggs was charged with attempting to take a security guard's firearm. He was eventually transferred to the Fulton County Jail in March, where he spent the next year, according to records.

In the fall of 2021, Rev. Harrell came into Griggs' life. She began mentoring and counseling the young man. Despite her efforts, court records show that after his release, Griggs missed two court hearings in Gwinnett County, one in late March and the other in late April. After each hearing, warrants were issued for his arrest.

Family concerned about dangers of Rev. Marita Harrell’s mentorship

Harrell's family said she loved all people, no matter what walk of life they came from. Her family expressed concern about some of the people she cared for, but she explained God gave her a mission to help those in need.

“She had an open, wonderful and tolerant heart and was always willing to meet new people and she loved people,” said her daughter Alyse Harrell.

MORE: The family of the late pastor Marita Harrell says God called her to help people in need

Ms Harrell had nothing but praise for her mother. The family said the 57-year-old was a passionate advocate for her two daughters, a loving wife to her husband Antonio and a person who loved and helped people.

“This was a point of contention between the two of us, between all of us, especially with this gentleman because he called two weeks ago,” said Antonio Harrell, the pastor's husband. “She told me, 'Antonio, God has brought these people into my life, I can't turn away from them.'”

When the senior pastor of Connections at Metropolitan United Methodist Church didn't come home Wednesday night, her husband and older daughter searched for her by tracking her phone. Antonio and Marae discovered the unimaginable.

“I was there and I still couldn't believe it. I was expecting her to wake up, open her eyes or move,” said Marae Harrell, the pastor's daughter.

The Harrell family said Marita's legacy will live on through her and all the people she touched.

“Her light will shine forever. She will be here forever,” Marae concluded.

FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor contributed to this report.