A man from the Bronx, Jamel McGriff, 42, has been indicted on 50 charges, including the murders of a senior couple from Queens. He is accused of killing Frank Olton, 76, and his wife, Maureen Olton, 77, on September 8, according to the indictment details revealed by the Queens District Attorney's Office and reported on by Gothamist.
After allegedly attacking the elderly couple, evidence indicates that McGriff attempted to access their financial assets by making multiple attempts to transfer money from their bank account. He reportedly spent several hours in their residence, which he later set on fire in an effort to destroy evidence. This act ultimately led to his capture and was considered a significant tactical error. During his arraignment yesterday, it was revealed that McGriff used the victims’ credit cards shortly after the killings, purchasing nearly $800 worth of clothing and attending a movie in Manhattan with the stolen cards, "The defendant forced his way into the home of Frank and Maureen Olton, made multiple attempts to transfer money from their bank account, murdered them and set the house ablaze before fleeing with their phones and credit cards," Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, stated in an account obtained by Gothamist.
It has been reported that McGriff used his own identification when he sold the couple’s phones at a Bronx check-cashing store and when he was making purchases with the victim's credit card, according to another article from Yahoo News. McGriff, who is a registered sex offender with an extensive criminal record, allegedly gained access to the Oltons' home by deceitfully convincing them he needed to charge his dead cell phone.
Assistant District Attorney John Esposito described the actions of McGriff as demonstrating a "level of violence and depravity," and he stated, “The defendant separated Frank and Maureen during their final moments, which must have been terrifying, tied Frank Olton to a pole in the basement, stabbing him multiple times in the chest and neck, killing him,” during the arraignment, this was reported by Yahoo News; McGriff tried to argue with the victim's bank for help with the transfers failed to answer security questions their call was recorded, he was ultimately arrested on September 10 in Midtown after a two-day manhunt.
