A former Stroud area youth, who a year and a half ago was investigated in the shooting death of his father, is under investigation again, this time by Florida authorities in connection with his mother’s death.
Collin Griffith, then 15, reportedly shot and killed his father during an altercation on Valentine’s Day afternoon in 2023 at their house southwest of Stroud.
Last week, Griffith reportedly was arrested by authorities in Polk County, Fla., after calling 911 to report his mother was bleeding from a knife wound in her neck.
Investigators there reportedly do not believe what Collin Griffith has told them.
Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties District Attorney Adam Panter recently explained the case against Collin Griffith back in February of 2023.
“Collin Griffith was initially arrested for his father’s shooting death in February of 2023,” he said. “Although he was arrested at the scene, the facts gathered early in the investigation appeared to show that Collin had a legitimate case of self-defense.
“Generally, all of the facts and evidence known about at the scene reflected that he and his father got into an argument, this argument became physical, and Collin’s father armed himself with a knife and chased Collin into a bedroom. Once in the bedroom, he backed Collin into a corner, where a loaded rifle was located.
“When Collin’s father advanced, Collin grabbed the rifle and fired two shots in quick succession and then called 911. At the start of his police interview, he requested an attorney and the interview was terminated, so the only version of events that we were able to obtain was what Collin said on the 911 call, which was consistent with the evidence we found at the scene.”
“Upon reviewing this information, he was allowed out on bond and into the custody of his mother at her request, and no formal charges were ever filed. While out on bond, the OSBI continued to investigate all evidence and leads in the case, including the processing of forensic evidence and digital evidence, both of which take some time for results. Ultimately, after evaluating all of the evidence and possible theories, it was determined that we could not rule out self-defense and as a result, declined to file any formal charges.”
Panter concluded by saying, “If any 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.”