Teen Found Not Guilty in Mother's Death - Two Years After Allegedly Shooting Father

A Florida teenager, Collin Griffith, has been acquitted of murdering his mother, Catherine "Cathy" Griffith, after arguing that he acted in self-defense. This verdict comes nearly two years after he was accused of shooting and killing his father, Charles Robert Griffith.

Collin, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was found not guilty of murdering his mother, who was fatally stabbed in the neck at his grandmother's home in Polk County in September. The defense presented by Collin's legal team contended that he had acted in self-defense during a confrontation with his mother.

According to Collin's account to the police, his mother had lunged at him with a knife, resulting in her falling on it. However, a medical examiner's report contradicted this claim, stating that Catherine's wounds could not have been caused accidentally. Subsequently, Collin was arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping.

During the trial, witnesses testified that prior to the stabbing, Collin and his mother were engaged in a heated argument outside the residence. Witnesses reported seeing Collin forcefully drag his mother inside the house as she pleaded to be released.

Catherine's mother, Susan Detman, testified that her daughter had a history of violence and unpredictable behavior, including an instance where she had pointed a gun at Collin. Detman also mentioned that there was no evidence suggesting Catherine was at her mother's home against her will.

Collin's attorney, Amy Thornhill, argued that there was ambiguity surrounding the events that transpired inside the house and proposed the theory that Catherine might have intended to provoke a situation leading to her own demise, a concept referred to as "suicide by son."

The defense further contended that Collin had been attempting to distance himself from his mother, which was why he was residing at his grandmother's house. Thornhill questioned the plausibility of Catherine threatening Collin with a knife in a fit of anger and desperation.

Ultimately, Collin was acquitted of both first-degree murder and kidnapping charges. Upon hearing the verdict, he embraced his defense team and exchanged smiles with his relieved family members present in the courtroom.

Prior to the incident involving his mother, Collin had also been involved in the fatal shooting of his father in their Oklahoma home. Collin, then 15 years old, claimed self-defense, stating that his father had cornered him, leading to the fatal shooting. The murder charge in his father's case was dropped by the Attorney General due to insufficient evidence contradicting Collin's self-defense claim.

Following the acquittal in his mother's case, Collin was reunited with his mother after a tumultuous relationship through Florida's Department of Children and Families. Despite the court's decision, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd expressed his belief that Collin was responsible for his mother's death.

Sheriff Judd stated, "The jury determined that they could not convict him beyond and to the exclusion of all reasonable doubt. During our investigation, detectives found witnesses that believe he also murdered his father in Oklahoma. That investigation is ongoing."