17-year-old Collin Griffith brutally stabbed his mother to death in Florida. Per NBC 2, Griffith called 911, saying that his mother, Catherine Griffith, was stabbed in the neck. Griffith said the wound came as a result of an altercation between himself and Catherine, occurring after she lunged at him with the knife and fell on top of it.
By the time police got to the scene of the crime, Catherine was already dead. When deputies asked Collin what had happened, Collin reportedly refused to cooperate. He instead demanded to speak to a lawyer. Investigators carefully analyzed the crime scene, discovering that what they uncovered didn't match what Collin told the 911 operator.
Witnesses said they heard Collin and Catherine shouting at each other outside their home. Allegedly, they saw Collin grab his mother by her hair and pull her into the house as she pleaded for him to let her go.
Florida Teenager Stabs His Mother To Death
A neighbor who lived across the street, Nancy K. Jones, spoke to WFLA about what she saw. "He opens up the door and there's a few arguments. Don't know exactly what the words were because I was sitting on my front porch. Next thing I know he grabs her and pulls her inside the house," she said to the outlet. "He just grabbed her — looked like he grabbed her by the hair."
The medical examiner's office determined that the stab wound in Catherine's neck was "inconsistent with an accidental injury." The year prior, Collin shot and killed his father on Valentine's Day during an altercation. Collin told police that his father had cornered him in a bedroom. So, Collin picked up a gun and shot him -- once in the chest and once in the head.
Catherine paid $50,000 to get Collin out of jail. The charges against him regarding his father were dropped as self-defense couldn't be ruled out. "Collin Griffith is a violent predator — he has now killed both his father and his mother," stated Polk County Sheriff, Grady Judd.
"We will hold him accountable in Polk County — we will do everything we can to keep him separated from civil society." Collin is being charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and violation of a no-contact order.
