A 17-year-old boy in Florida who is accused of killing his mother on Sunday also allegedly killed his father in 2023.
During a press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described the suspect, Collin Griffith, as a “psychopath” after he was taken into custody at his grandmother’s home in Auburndale, Fox 13 reported on Wednesday.
The outlet continued:
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Collin Griffith, of Port Charlotte, murdered his mother, 39-year-old Catherine Griffith, also of Port Charlotte, in unincorporated Auburndale. Around 6 p.m. on Sunday, deputies said they responded to Collin Griffith’s 911 call for help.
He told law enforcement that he and his mother had gotten into a fight and during the argument, his mother lunged at him with a knife and fell on it, causing a deep stab wound in her neck.
According to Judd, the 911 operator told the suspect how to perform life-saving techniques, but when first responders arrived at the scene the woman was pronounced dead.
An image shows the teenage suspect, his mother, and the knife involved in the case:
Detectives realized there were inconsistencies regarding what the suspect told the 911 operator and what officials found at the scene.
Meanwhile, a KOCO report said Wednesday:
According to an affidavit, on February 14, 2023, around 1 p.m., deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma received a call that from Collin saying he had shot his father, Charles Griffith.
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Collin was arrested on charges of first-degree murder of his father, which were later dropped. The affidavit says there were inconsistencies with the evidence on the scene and the story initially given to dispatch by Collin.
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Judd said the sheriff’s office has asked Oklahoma to reopen the murder investigation of his father.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Judd described the case as one involving the “cold-blooded murder” of a mother by her teenage son.
Now, the teenager is facing charges that include first-degree murder, per the Fox 13 article.