Chicago man charged with triple murder of Catholic school employee and family in Morgan Park home

CHICAGO – A 21-year-old Chicago man has been charged in the deaths of a Catholic school employee, her brother and her 81-year-old mother who were found shot to death in their Morgan Park home in 2022.

Zavier Griffin, of Gresham Township, was taken into custody in Pinckneyville on Friday morning after evidence linked him to the shooting that occurred between April 4 and 5, 2022, according to a statement from Chicago police.

He is charged with 12 serious crimes, including premeditated murder, burglary with a firearm, aggravated sexual assault, murder in combination with other violent crimes and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.

During a wellness check, officials found the bodies of Thomas Ann Riley, 64, her mother Arteria Riley, 81, and her brother Ruben Riley, 61, in their home in the 11300 block of South Green Street on April 5, 2022.

Arteria Riley was shot in the right side of the head and pronounced dead at the scene. Thomas Ann Riley and Ruben Riley were shot in the right side of their bodies, officials and the coroner's office said.

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Police said the motive for the killings was unclear, and neighbors spoke of deep grief over the loss of longtime Morgan Park residents.

Chicago police are on the scene because three people were found shot to death in a Far South Side home. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Sun-Times

Arteria Riley was a retired postal worker and widower who raised her family in the house, neighbors said. She was an avid bowler who played in a league and traveled to competitions before she lost her sight, they said.

“These are the people who would give you the shirt off your back,” said a neighbor. “I have no idea why they meet such a violent end. I feel terribly sorry.”

Thomas Ann Riley has worked for the past seven years as a secretary and financial manager at Saint Philip Neri School, a Catholic elementary school in South Shore. When she didn't show up for work this week, people were worried.

“Ms. Riley was the face of our school,” the school said in a letter to families Wednesday morning. “She was the person who greeted every student and parent who entered the building. It was impossible to come to SPN without encountering Ms. Riley. She was warm, yet firm, to everyone she met, and she knew everyone in our community. She was an integral part of what made our school so special.”

Neighbors said they did not hear any gunshots and expressed disbelief, describing the block as otherwise quiet.

“These are the people who would give you the shirt off your back,” said a neighbor. “I have no idea why they meet such a violent end. I feel terribly sorry.”

Griffin is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on Saturday.