Teen arrested for stabbing mother to death, 19 months after shooting father

A Florida teenager has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his mother, less than two years after he was arrested for fatally shooting his father but never charged, authorities said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Wednesday that the teen had allegedly previously threatened to kill his mother before Sunday’s “cold-blooded murder.”

The stabbing happened after the teen, Collin Griffith, 17, and his mother, Catherine Griffith, 39, were seen having an altercation outside a mobile home in Auburndale, according to Judd.

“There were witnesses outside the mobile home who saw Collin dragging his mother into the house by her hair,” the sheriff said.

Griffith called 911 Sunday night to report that his mother had “fallen on a knife” and was bleeding from her neck, Judd said. The teen reportedly said his mother lunged at him with the knife when she stumbled upon it during a lengthy fight inside the home, according to Judd.

The home belongs to the teen’s grandmother, who was not there at the time of the incident, Judd said.

When officers arrived, the teen greeted them outside and was “calm, collected, composed, not upset,” Judd said. Griffith allegedly told them, “I know my rights, I want a lawyer,” according to Judd.

A bloody kitchen knife with an 8-inch blade was found inside the home, the sheriff said.

In an autopsy conducted Monday, the medical examiner determined that Griffith died from a deep stab wound to the neck, which was not consistent with an accidental injury, Judd said.

“The medical examiner said it was neither reasonable nor plausible that she died the way (her son) said she did,” Judd said.

Collin Griffith is in custody and has been charged with first-degree murder, Judd said, adding that they have asked the state’s attorney’s office to prosecute the teen as an adult.

The state attorney’s office for the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Polk County, told ABC News Thursday it had no comment on the case at this time.

It is unclear whether Griffith has an attorney. ABC News’ attempts to reach his grandmother were unsuccessful.

Judd said that as investigators began to “peel back the layers of this onion,” the teen’s family told investigators that he had previously been physically or verbally confrontational with his mother.

Reports from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, where Collin Griffith and his mother lived, showed that he allegedly threatened to kill her in statements allegedly made in September 2023 and, more recently, in February, according to the affidavit charging him with his mother’s murder.

Collin Griffith was also arrested by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office for domestic violence against his mother in November 2023, according to Judd.

“She was punishing him and taking away his right to play video games, so he beat his mother,” Judd said. “He pushed her to the ground and stomped on her.”

A few days before the stabbing, Collin Griffith and his mother had an argument over household chores and he went to his grandmother’s house, Judd said. Catherine Griffith went to the grandmother’s house Sunday to take him home, and she and her son were seen arguing outside the grandmother’s house around 4:30 p.m., less than two hours before the teen called 911 to report the stabbing, Judd said.

While investigating the stabbing, the sheriff’s office learned that Oklahoma authorities also arrested the teen last year in connection with the fatal shooting of his father, Charles Griffith, at their Lincoln County home.

Collin Griffith told authorities he shot his father in self-defense on Feb. 14, 2023, during an argument that escalated into physical violence, according to Adam Panter, the district attorney for Oklahoma’s 23rd District, which includes Lincoln County.

In a 911 call, the teen said he grabbed a rifle and shot his father twice after his father chased him into a bedroom while armed with a knife, according to the district attorney.

“Early in his police interview, he asked for an attorney and the interview was interrupted, so the only version of events we were able to obtain was what Collin said in the 911 call, which was consistent with the evidence we found at the scene,” Panter said in a statement to ABC News.

State police investigated forensic and digital evidence and no charges were ever filed against the teen in the case, Panter said.

“Ultimately, after evaluating all of the evidence and possible theories, it was determined that we could not rule out self-defense and, therefore, we declined to file formal charges,” Panter said.

Panter and Judd both said any relevant information obtained in the investigation into the mother’s death will be considered in the shooting of the teen’s father.

“If new evidence is obtained that is both relevant and credible to our investigation into the death of Collin Griffith’s father, we will certainly re-evaluate the case and make a new determination if necessary,” Panter told ABC News.

After his father was shot in Oklahoma, Collin Griffith came to Charlotte County, Florida, in March 2023 to live with his mother, Judd said.

He was “under intense surveillance” by the county sheriff’s office before the stabbing, Judd said. Griffith had been placed on active juvenile probation after his November 2023 arrest on domestic violence charges in connection with his physical assault of his mother, according to an affidavit.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News that its juvenile unit has worked with the teen and his family “in a variety of ways, including connecting them with available resources.”

“I can’t say more because I’m not aware of these interactions and because he is a minor,” the spokesman said.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) had also been in contact with the family, including after the teen ran away from home in February following an argument with his mother, Judd said.

A spokesperson for DCF, which investigates allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment, said information about its investigations is confidential under state law.

Judd said they are looking into Collin Griffith’s history and his interactions with other agencies in Florida and Oklahoma as they investigate the case.

“My question is: was there anything else that could have been done?” he said.

He noted that the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office did an “outstanding job tracking” Collin Griffith.

In addition to the murder, Collin Griffith was charged with kidnapping and violating a no-contact order, the sheriff’s office said. The charges stem from his juvenile probation in Charlotte County for domestic violence, with conditions including a ban on any contact with his mother, according to the affidavit.