A 17-year-old from Polk County, Collin Griffith, faces first-degree murder and kidnapping charges as an adult following the fatal stabbing of his mother, Catherine Griffith. This indictment comes a year after Griffith shot his father to death in Oklahoma, a case in which he claimed self-defense and the charges were subsequently dropped due to lack of evidence to counter his claim, WFLA reports.
On September 8, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Griffith called 911 claiming his mother was injured during an argument, falling onto a knife he was holding, yet witnesses told 10 Tampa Bay of seeing Griffith drag his mother into their home by her hair beforehand, her death resulting from a deep neck wound.
The decision to charge Griffith as an adult was made by State Attorney Brian Haas, who noted, "Charging a minor as an adult is not a decision that I take lightly, but as state attorney, it is my responsibility to do so when warranted," in a statement obtained by WTSP. Collaboration between Polk County Sheriff's Office and Oklahoman law enforcement is ongoing, to bring forth new evidence which might have an impact on the Oklahoma case.
Further complicating the case is a history of domestic violence, Griffith having faced related charges from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in November 2023 as Griffith's grandmother described numerous instances where the accused was verbally or physically aggressive toward his mother, according to ABC Action News. Griffith, who made his initial court appearance in Bartow and is held without bond, is scheduled to return to court on October 8.
