Teen Acquitted in Mother’s Stabbing Death After Claiming Self-Defense

BARTOW, Fla. — A Florida jury on Wednesday acquitted Collin Griffith, 17, of first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the stabbing death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, in a case that centered on claims of self-defense and a tumultuous family history.

The verdict came after a trial that revealed a complex and troubled relationship between Griffith and his mother. On Sept. 8, 2024, Griffith called 911 to report that his mother had fallen on a knife during a heated argument at their Auburndale home. Catherine Griffith, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene from a deep stab wound to the neck.

Prosecutors argued that Griffith intentionally killed his mother, citing witness accounts that he dragged her by the hair into the home and ignored her pleas to be released. “He showed his intentions by his actions and words,” said prosecutor Mark Levine during closing arguments. “He was going to kill that ‘evil b****’ — his own mom — and so he did.”

However, Griffith’s defense team, led by public defender Amy Thornhill, contended that he acted in self-defense. Thornhill painted a picture of a teenager living in fear of his mother, who she described as “unpredictable” and prone to violent outbursts. “You heard him on the body-worn camera footage. ‘I don’t want to kill her, but if she attacks me, I will have to defend myself,'” Thornhill told the jury.

The case was further complicated by Griffith’s history. Just 18 months before his mother’s death, he fatally shot his father, Charles Griffith, in Oklahoma. Charges in that case were dropped after prosecutors could not disprove his claim of self-defense. Catherine Griffith had reportedly threatened to reveal details about the shooting, which prosecutors suggested may have escalated tensions between mother and son.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony about Griffith’s mental health struggles, including multiple instances of being involuntarily committed under Florida’s Baker Act. In one instance, Griffith allegedly told authorities he would kill himself or his mother. “He’s Baker Acted. So it’s September, and as he’s getting out of the original Baker Act, he makes a statement that, well, I’ll kill myself, or I’ll kill my mother by shooting or stabbing her,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference.

Griffith’s grandmother, Susan Walantas, testified in his defense, describing Catherine Griffith as a volatile figure who once handed her son a gun and instructed him to kill her. “I believe he did NOT murder Cathy,” Walantas said, adding that she encouraged Griffith to pray and read the Bible during their frequent phone calls while he was in jail.

The jury deliberated for one day before returning a not-guilty verdict on all charges. If convicted, Griffith could have faced life in prison. The case has sparked debate over the complexities of domestic violence, mental health, and self-defense claims in the criminal justice system.