FL Teen Killed Mom, Previously Charged In Dad's Death: Sheriff

LAKELAND, FL — A 17-year-old Polk County teenage boy who is facing murder charges in connection with his mother's stabbing death was previously accused of shooting and killing his father in early 2023, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Deputies responded around 6 p.m. Sunday to a Hewlett Drive home in Auburndale. Authorities said 17-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 for help after an incident with his mother, 39-year-old Catherine Griffith.

The younger Griffith told dispatch "his mother lunged at him with a knife and fell on it" during a dispute, causing a deep stab wound in her neck, authorities said.

Catherine Griffith was pronounced dead at the scene when first responders arrived, authorities said.

When deputies got to the scene, they noticed Collin Griffith was not upset, was calm and had blood on him, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference. The sheriff added deputies found a 12-inch knife with an 8-inch blade at the scene.

During police interviews, Collin Griffith was accused of immediately being uncooperative and requesting an attorney. Authorities said there were inconsistencies between what the teenager told dispatch and what was found at the scene.

Witnesses told detectives Colin Griffith had been arguing with his mother outside earlier in the day, when they said he grabbed his mother's hair and dragged her inside of the home, authorities said.

Catherine Griffith repeatedly pled for her son to let her go, authorities said, citing witness accounts.

A medical examiner's autopsy determined her cause of death was a "deep penetrating knife wound to the neck," authorities said. The medical examiner said the stab wound was inconsistent with an accidental injury, authorities said.

Judd said the medical examiner determined Catherine Griffith could not have died the way her son said she did. He said the knife went through to the back of her neck.

Collin Griffith was charged on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping and violation of a no-contact order, authorities said. Judd said the sheriff's office is requesting he be prosecuted as an adult.

The fatal incident on Sunday occurred at his grandmother's house though Judd said she was not home at the time of the incident.

While speaking with detectives, the grandmother said he had been physically or verbally confrontational with his mother in the past, authorities said.

The grandmother said Collin Griffith was arrested on Valentine's Day 2023 in connection with the shooting death of his father in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, Judd said.

The teenager alleged his father pulled a knife on him, and he shot him in the chest and in the head in self-defense, Judd said.

The murder charge against Collin Griffith was dropped at least a month later because local authorities said they could not prove against his self-defense assertion.

In March 2023, he relocated to Charlotte County to live with his mother, Judd said. The sheriff added about six months later, Collin Griffith made a comment regarding either killing himself or his mother by a shooting or stabbing.

Additionally, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office charged Collin Griffith on suspicion of domestic violence battery against his mother in November 2023, authorities said.

Judd said the former murder case against Collin Griffith could potentially be reopened in Oklahoma.

“We will hold him accountable in Polk County—we will do everything we can to keep him separated from civil society," Judd said in a news release.