A tragic incident occurred recently where a 17-year-old boy allegedly stabbed his mother to death in Florida. This shocking event took place only one year after the boy shot and killed his father in Oklahoma. The news was confirmed by the police, highlighting another disturbing act of violence involving a young individual.
Collin Griffith called 911 on Sunday night and reported that his mother, Catherine Griffith, aged 39, had been stabbed during a scuffle after she lunged at him with a knife and fell on it, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Upon receiving the call, police officers rushed to the scene where Catherine was pronounced dead by medics.
When questioned about the incident, Collin became uncooperative and demanded to speak to an attorney. Detectives quickly realized that the evidence at the crime scene did not match the situation described by the teen during his phone call with the authorities.
According to witnesses, both Collin and his mother were engaged in a heated argument outside their residence before the boy grabbed her by the hair and forcefully dragged her inside while she repeatedly pleaded for him to let go of her.
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,” Nancy K. Jones, who lives across the street from the Griffith residence told WFLA. He just grabbed her — looked like he grabbed her by the hair.
Collin’s grandmother, who owns the home where the stabbing occurred but was not present during the incident, revealed that her grandson had been physically or verbally confrontational with his mother on several occasions in the past. She reportedly told Jones before that Collin “had problems.
An autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Catherine Griffith died of a deep penetrating knife wound to the neck, which was ruled as inconsistent with an accidental injury. As a result of these horrifying actions, Collin is now an orphan since he allegedly killed his father as well.
Collin fatally shot his father, Charles Robert Griffith, in 2023 during an altercation at their Oklahoma home on Valentine’s Day. He was 15 years old at the time and claimed self-defense in an arrest affidavit. The teen told police he had been cornered by his dad in the bedroom of the house so he picked up a gun and shot him twice – once in the chest and once in the head.
His mother paid $50,000 to bail him out of jail, records show. However, charges were later dropped as self-defense could not be ruled out, according to the Lincoln County, Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office.
Collin was reunited with his mother exactly a year after he shot his father, through Florida’s Department of Children and Families. He first threatened to kill Catherine at that time, before allegedly carrying out the act on Sunday.
Collin Griffith is a violent predator — he has now killed both his father and his mother,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. We will hold him accountable in Polk County — we will do everything we can to keep him separated from civil society.
The 17-year-old boy is currently facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and violation of a no-contact order. The details surrounding this heartbreaking case serve as a grim reminder of the complexities and consequences of family violence.
