POLK COUNTY, Fla. (Scripps News Fort Myers/Court TV) — A Florida teen who once faced charges in the death of his father is now in custody for allegedly killing his mother.
On Sunday, 17-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 and told a dispatcher that his mother “fell on a knife” during a “very long fight,” according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
(L) Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaks at a press conference Sept. 11, 2024. (R) Collin Griffith. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies that responded to the scene described his demeanor as “calm, cool and collected.”
LEADING UP TO THE ALLEGED MURDER:
According to authorities, arguments over chores prompted Collin to leave his mother’s Charlotte County home on Sept. 6 and go to his grandmother’s in Auburndale.
Two days later, Catherine went to get her son. Witnesses said thirty minutes after she arrived, they saw Collin dragging her by her hair. He called 911 two hours later. His grandmother was not home at the time.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is asking the State Attorney’s Office to charge him as an adult.
ACCUSED OF KILLING FATHER:
In 2023, Collin was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his father. Collin told investigators in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, that his father pulled a knife on him, so he shot him in self-defense.
Prosecutors dropped the charges less than a month later because they “could not disprove Collin’s assertion of self-defense.”
Upon his release in March 2023, Collin was released to his mother in Florida.
The Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office said if sufficient evidence is presented, they can reopen his father’s murder case.
BAKER ACTED TWICE:
Six months later, Collin was Baker Acted.
The 17-year-old was then Baker Acted a second time by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office after making statements regarding taking his own life or his mother’s by shooting or stabbing her.
Grady said in Nov. 2023, Collin was arrested for domestic violence against his mother after she took his video game privileges away. He allegedly pushed her to the ground and stomped her.
Collin claimed self-defense, but his grandmother witnessed the encounter and countered that claim; the teen was arrested.
In Feb., Collin allegedly ran away from his mother’s house and went to his grandmother’s home.
Charlotte County deputies found him and turned him over to DCF, which reunited him with his mother on Valentine’s Day 2024 – the anniversary of his father’s death.
Grady said Collin said he did not want to be reunited with his mother and told deputies he’d use any force necessary to avoid it including “killing my mother.”
In May, Collin graduated from an alternative high school and began attending a community college.
VICTIM’S TEXTS WITH NEIGHBOR:
A friend and neighbor of Catherine shared text messages with Scripps News Fort Myers from right before the murder.
One reads “Hey [redacted] please do NOT let Collin OR the police into my home. I’m not opening my door….Collin just hates me and honestly I’m tired of this crap.”
The neighbor responds: “Where are you? And how am I going to stop him?”
The mother responds: “Don’t give them the keys. I’m home, in my room.”
On Sunday, she texts that Collin is violating his probation: “I’m meeting his probation officer Monday morning if he doesn’t come home today by 10am. He knows the time deadline and he’s choosing to skip it and hide at my mom’s house in Polk County which is also a violation.”
The last text she received said: “He won’t listen… I am going to drive to get him and if he doesn’t get in the car then Polk County can deal with him.”
This story was originally published by Scripps News Fort Myers, an E.W. Scripps Company.
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