Teen arrested for stabbing mother to death one year after shockingly similar crime

A Florida teenager was calm, cool and collected as he told police his mother had died after falling on a knife – a year after he shot his father dead.

A murder charge against Collin Griffith was dropped a month after he shot dad Charles in the head and chest because the 17-year-old claimed to be acting in self-defense.

On Sunday evening he rang 911 to claim that his mother Catherine had fallen on a knife as they argued at his grandmothers house in Auburndale.

But witnesses reported seeing him dragging the 39-year-old out of the house by her hair two hours earlier and a medical examiner found she had been stabbed – twice – in the neck.

When you look at this, you see a kid, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told a press conference on Wednesday. When I look at him I see a psychopath.

Polk County Sheriffs Office is asking the State Attorney to charge Collin Griffith, 17, as an adult after he killed his mother - a year after escaping a murder charge over his fathers death

Mother Catherine Griffith had paid  $50,000 bond to secure the release of her son but he had warned deputies he would kill her if forced to live with her

Everybody that should be special to him in his life is dead when they cross him.

Griffith claimed that his 43-year-old dad had pulled a knife on him before chasing and cornering him at the remote farmstead in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, on Valentines Day 2023.

But prosecutors could not disprove Colins assertion of self-defense and his mother paid a $50,000 bond to get him out of jail.

Six months later he was back in custody under Floridas Baker Act after threatening to kill himself, and to stab or shoot his mother.

In November last year he was arrested on domestic violence charges after kicking his mother to the ground when she tried to restrict his use of video games.

He again tried to claim self-defense, but his grandmother had seen the attack and corroborated Catherines account.

By February 2024 he had run away from his mothers house in Charlotte County and gone to stay with his grandmother.

He told deputies he would kill my mother rather than be reunited with her but they handed him to Floridas Department for Children and Families who returned him to the home in Charlotte County, a year to the day after his fathers death.

Police yesterday released a series of chilling text messages Catherine sent in the hours before her death begging a neighbor for help.

The 39-year-old was a popular teacher with the Florida Virtual School 

Police released Catherines chilling text exchange with a friend in the hours before her death

Please do not let Collin or the police into my home. Im not opening my door, she wrote in one. Collin just hates me and Im tired of this crap.

Where are you and how am I going to stop him? the neighbor replied.

Dont give them the keys, Catherine responded. Im home in my room.

On the day of her death she told the neighbor: Im meeting with his probation officer Monday morning if he doesnt come home today by ten. He knows the time and deadline.

Hes choosing to skip it and hide out at my moms house in Polk county which is also a violation.

In her final text she wrote: He wont listen I am going to drive to get him and if he doesnt get in the car then Polk county can deal with him.

Griffiths grandmother was not at home when his mother arrived at 4pm on Sunday and the pair began to argue.

By 6.30pm police were on the way after Griffith called to say his mother had injured herself, and showed zero remorse when the officers arrived.

He looked the deputy in the eye and said: I know my rights, I want an attorney, Judd told reporters.

He claimed that during this argument, his mother lunged at him with a knife, and fell on it, resulting in a deep stab wound to her neck.

The medical examiner said its just not reasonable or plausible that she died the way that he said she did. It just didnt happen.

When you look at this, you see a kid, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told a press conference on Wednesday. When I look at him I see a psychopath.

A murder charge against Collin Griffith was dropped a month after he shot dad Charles in the head and chest because the 17-year-old claimed to be acting in self-defense.

Griffith was arrested for murder and the Polk County Sheriffs Office is asking the State Attorney to charge him as an adult.

And a spokesman for the Oklahoma District Attorneys Office said it was now examining whether to charge him again over his fathers death.

If Oklahoma had been able to act, Catherine would be alive and well today, Judd said.

But because she took him in and tried to do like a mother should do and took care of him, shes now dead.

Hes already, at 17 years of age, shot and killed his father and got away with it, and stabbed his mother in the neck so hard that the knife went all the way through.

Now hes killed two people, and killed his mother and father, and I can assure you based upon his conduct, had he gone to live with his grandmother at the end of this, and she had crossed him, she would be next.