17-year-old murders mom in Polk County after killing dad in 2023, officials say

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (WFLA) — A 17-year-old was arrested on Sunday for the murder of his mother in Auburndale, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the teen called 911 around 6 p.m. on Sunday to tell authorities he and his mother, 39-year-old Catherine Griffith, of Port Charlotte, got into a fight.

The boy claimed during the argument, his mom lunged at him with a knife and fell on it, causing a deep stab wound to her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

When the teen was asked about what had happened, he became uncooperative and wanted to speak with a lawyer, the sheriff’s office said.

“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,” said Nancy K. Jones, who lives across the street. “He just grabbed her, looked like he grabbed her by the hair.”

Jones said he is friends with the owner of the home, the grandmother of the teenage suspect, who was out of town for the weekend.

“I knew he was a troubled kid that’s all I knew because Susan said that the kid had problems,” said Jones. “I feel so sorry for the family, very very sorry for the family.”

The Medical Examiner confirmed Griffith died due to a deep penetrating knife wound to her neck and found the wound to be inconsistent with an accidental injury, officials said.

A 2023 affidavit obtained from a Lincoln County, Oklahoma news outlet shows that when the boy was 15 years old, he shot and killed his father, Charles Robert Griffith during an altercation at a home on Valentine’s Day, claiming self-defense. A special agent said the teen shot his dad once in the chest, and once in the head.

On Feb. 14, 2024, a year after killing his dad, the teen was reunited with his mom through the Department of Children and Families in Florida. Officials said that’s when he threatened his mom, saying he’d kill her, making this the second verbal threat against her before killing her over the weekend.

“A violent predator— he has now killed both his father and his mother,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “We will hold him accountable in Polk County— we will do everything we can to keep him separated from civil society.”

Previous coverage: In 2023, the teen fatally shot his father in Oklahoma following an argument.

In a statement to WFLA, Rachel Thompson, assistant district attorney in Lincoln County said:

“Investigation was conducted by Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations. Self-defense could not be ruled out so no charges were filed.”

The teen’s grandmother, and mother of the victim, said he previously had verbal and physical confrontations with his mom. She confirmed his arrest in the fatal shooting of his father in 2023.

According to PCSO, he had also been charged with domestic violence battery against his mom in November 2023 by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

“The reason he battered his mother is because she was disciplining him and took his video game privileges away,” said Sheriff Judd. “He pushed her to the ground and he stomped on her.”

The teen is being charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and violation of a no-contact order.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.