“A cold-blooded murder”; a Port Charlotte community mourns the loss of its own

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WWSB) – A 17-year-old has been arrested in Polk County for the murder of his mother. According to Sheriff Grady Judd, the victim is 39-year-old Port Charlotte resident Catherine Griffith.

“A cold-blooded murder,” Judd said. “He's violent, he's dangerous, he's shown no remorse.”

A neighbor who did not want to go on camera told ABC 7 the community is heartbroken and a funeral is planned for 10 a.m. Friday morning at Lakeland Funeral Home.

Griffith's body was found in Polk County at the suspects' grandmother's home. According to Judd, Griffith drove there to take her son home to Port Charlotte after an argument broke out when he left. The grandmother was not home and Judd explained she had another home in the Keys.

Judd said witnesses saw the two arguing outside the house and that he then grabbed his mother by the hair and dragged her into the house.

“It's important to understand: When you look at this, you see a child, and when I look at him, I see a psychopath,” Judd said.

Judd explained that this is not the first time the teenager has done this. In February of last year, Judd said, the teenager was arrested for shooting his father in Oklahoma at the age of 15.

“The caller on the phone said his father cornered him with a knife and he had to shoot him,” said Charlie Dougherty, who gave an interview to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office after the incident.

Judd said the charges were dropped nearly a month later and the teen moved in with his mother in Port Charlotte. He explained the problems didn't stop and in November of last year the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office charged him with domestic violence against his mother.

Judd said she disciplined him and he claimed it was self-defense.

“He took away his video games, so he beat his mother. He pushed her to the ground and stomped on her,” Judd said.

Judd asked if there was anything else that could have been done. He said if Oklahoma had acted, Griffith would still be alive.

“Everyone he cared about or wanted to care about in his life died when they got in his way,” Judd said.

The Oklahoma District Attorney responded in a statement, saying, “OSBI continued to examine all evidence, including forensic and digital evidence, which takes some additional time to process. Ultimately, it was determined that we could not rule out self-defense and therefore declined to file formal charges.”

The prosecutor also stated that any new relevant and credible information could lead to a re-evaluation of the case to determine whether the evidence is sufficient to rebut the self-defense claim.

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