Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Bodycam Shows Teen Accused of Murdering Mom Months Before Stabbing: 'I'm Not a Psychopath!'

Episode Date: January 17, 2025

Nearly a year before Collin Griffith was accused of murdering his mother, Cathy Griffith, deputies were called to their home two days in a row for a domestic violence incident in which Collin was charged. Griffith is seen telling Charlotte County deputies that his mother attacked him but his grandmother tells Collin what he's saying isn't true. Griffith has pleaded not guilty to stabbing his mom to death in September 2024. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy breaks down the chilling footage in this episode of Crime Fix —a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If your child, under 21, has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease, visit https://forthepeople.com/food to start a claim now!Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this law and crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Did you make any statement saying that you were going to kill your mother if you got in a car with her? That's Colin Griffith. Nearly a year before the prosecutor says he murdered his mother by stabbing her to death, I go through the chilling body camera footage that foreshadowed events to come. She thinks that I'm, like, psychotic, like, literally a psychopath, sociopath, something like that. This is a law and crime legal alert.

Did you know that children are being diagnosed with serious conditions like type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease? And research is potentially linking ultra-processed foods to these outcomes. Morgan & Morgan is stepping in to fight to hold food companies accountable. With decades of experience fighting large corporations,

they are ready to stand up for families who deserve justice. If your child under 21 has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease, visit www.forthepeople.com slash food to learn more. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjanelle Levy. It's been more than four months since Colin Griffith called 911 from his grandmother's house in Polk County, Florida, and told the call taker that his mother fell on a knife. But the sheriff in Polk County and the state attorney say that story was a lie.

Colin Griffith was 17 years old at the time, and he was charged with kidnapping and murdering his mom, Kathy Griffith, at his grandmother's home. I've told you about this case before and how the photos on social media made it look like Colin and Kathy Griffith were the happiest mother and son around. But in reality,

there were major, major issues leading up to Kathy's death in September of 2024. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd laid out some of those issues in a press conference last September. It included major concerns about Colin's mental health and an incident in February of 2024. He has an argument with his mother, and he runs away from Charlotte County and comes back to Auburndale to his grandmother's house. Now, his grandmother's not there. And we got involved in this on the 12th of February. And the mother said, and the grandmother said, hey, we don't feel safe with him around. So our deputies who found him up here as a missing person reported in Charlotte County turned him over to DCF.

Two days later, on the 14th of February, the anniversary of him killing his dad a year ago, he's reunited with his mother by DCF. Colin made the statement that I don't want to go home. I'll use any force necessary to avoid it, to include killing my mother. So that's the second time he threatened to kill his mother. Two weeks later, so they didn't make him go home on the 14th, but about two weeks later in March 2024, they reunite Colin with his mother again. Everybody's calmed down. Colin Griffith had moved to Florida to live with his mom after he shot and killed his father in Oklahoma on Valentine's Day in 2023.

The murder charge filed against Colin was later dropped when the prosecutor couldn't prove that Colin's claim of self-defense wasn't true. I can't see without my glasses. I don't know where they went. Hi. Hello. Who's who? I'm Deputy Jankowski. Now, body camera footage from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, that's where Colin lived with his mother, Charlotte County, Florida, is giving us a look at the domestic violence incident from November of 2023,

where Colin was accused of beating up Kathy Griffith. He told deputies his side of the story when they arrived. I got off the phone with Brentis. We sat down and we ate, and she started talking to me about how a bunch of really bad shit. And then when I got up and was like, you can't just do that.

And she was telling me to shut up. She hit me in the face. And then I got up in, I was like, you can't just do that. And she was telling me to shut up. She hit me in the face. And then I reacted like this. She grabbed onto me. I hit her in the stomach. And then I'm a wrestler. It was just reactive. I grabbed her.

She got to the ground. I grabbed the phone. I started recording on my left. All right, that's all. So she hit you in the face? Yeah. But we've been through this. She called her in just because you know you kind of messed up, right?

No, it's because I didn't know who else to call, and I wanted to make sure he knew first off. Okay. Deputies put Colin in cuffs in the back of a cruiser and then talked to his mom, Kathy. It's Catherine A. Griffith, right? And then 9485. Yes. Okay. So I heard EMS is coming to check out your hand. Okay. And right here because he kicked me.

Okay. Hey, can I see your hand? Okay. He kicked the phone out of my hand as I was trying to record it. I was on the ground. Medics then checked out Kathy Griffith's injuries. It hurts. I mean, you can see how swollen my knuckles are. It's okay. He literally, like, stomped on my hand to get the phone out of my hand. Let me see the inside of your hand. All right. Do you have any pain to your wrist at all?

Or is it just right here in the top of your hand? No, it's all of this. Yeah, from here to about here. Okay. When did that happen? When he attacked me. Like, what, like, was that like a couple minutes ago? Like in the past 20, 30 minutes.

And then he takes me here. I have like some redness. Colin Griffith had been staying with his grandmother in Polk County. She explained that sometimes he would stay with her if he wasn't getting along with his mom. But it was time for him to go back home. Colin did not want to come back home. Okay. And I said, you don't have a choice. You him to go back home. Colin did not want to come back home. And I said, you don't have a choice.

You have to go back home. And he said, no, I want foster care. And even the corporal was saying, foster care isn't going to be good for you. You don't have issues. You have to work on them. And so we agreed. I talked to him all the way. Oh, my car doors.

Colin has mental health issues, according to his grandma. He was in therapy and had a treatment plan, and there was some sort of intervention going on with law enforcement as well. We talked all the way down, and I said, you have got to learn to get your anger under control. You want to be a Marine. People are going to get it. I'm retired from the service. So am I. Very good. So I said, people are going to get in your face and you're going to have to learn to deal with that. You just ignore it. Right. And I said, the other thing too, is you don't ever hit anybody. You don't even touch somebody. And especially somebody as small as Kathy. That is just something that you cannot ever do. I said, that needs to be, goes, no, but I said, there are no of us.

That's all there is. Colin's grandmother then describes what led up to Colin assaulting his mother. So we got here. And Frances had agreed. She's going to lay the law down. Know that she is the parent. She is doing what she thinks is best for him that he's not going to have his cellular phone he's not going to have x because he's like

talking to some person on the cell on um online that we don't even know who this person is okay and that um she said i don't want you ever calling me a psychopathic narcissist anymore. And he goes, no, I didn't. He goes, no, I heard you say that. So, you know, he had said that in the past. And she said, let me lay this out for you, because the only thing I think you really care about is money. So anytime there's an infraction, I'm going to take that from you and it'll add up.

So you have got to fly right, because otherwise, if not, and then he was doing something with his eyes. Colin's grandma then described why she believed Colin attacked his mother. I think he wanted the phone. And that's all he was concerned about was getting his phone back. So was he upset about getting his phone back or upset about not going on the cruise and going to get evaluated? I think both. Both. And was she trying to record him with his own phone or mom's? There was two phones. So it was his and hers? Mm-hmm. Okay. So she, just to kind of clarify, he's like, let's just do it. Got her phone to start recording.

You said next thing you know, they're on the ground. Did you see how they got on the ground? No. Okay. Because I was trying to call also. Okay. But I was very worried she was on the ground, and I went in between them. Okay. Deputies took Colin to jail, but before they did, his grandma spoke with him at the patrol car. I think my anger's fine, it's just that when someone attacks me, I don't know how to react. What? I can't hear you, what?

Nothing. Do you think your anger's fine? Yes, it's just when someone attacks me, that's all I have. That didn't happen though. I was there. I saw it. I saw you stand up. And I said, sit down, and you wouldn't. And you went after the phone. And the next thing I know, she's on the floor. And I'm trying to get in between, Ron. I'm trying to call Brenna. No, no. She's with me. She's got on the phone. I need her and then I got her to the ground and her wrestling move and then I ran. I didn't see that, Colin. I really didn't. All I saw was you on the ground, or her on the ground, and you by her. And you guys fighting for the fun.

So how did she get on the ground? I moved her on the ground. I wrestled her on the ground. Why did you stand up? And why did you say? Because I was just trying to have a face-to-face conversation. No, you didn't. You stood up and said, Okay, let's do it.

Let's do it. Yes, you did. I was there. I was saying, I'm not a psychopath. I'm not this murderer. I'm just trying to peacefully leave or peacefully coexist and just figure something out. And she kept telling me to shut up and shut up. And when I wouldn't shut up, she hit me. No, that's not what happened,

Colin. That's not what happened. You never said you wanted to peacefully coexist. I've been saying that. You said that in the car, but not there with her. So Colin's grandma told him clearly that the account he was giving was not what happened. And he said he wasn't a murderer or a psychopath. The next day, deputies were back

at the house with his mom after Colin had been released from jail. Colin, right? Yes, sir. So what's going on, man? Um, last night me and my mom went to a physical application. from jail. you want to come right now um things calm down are you guys able to get along what's where are we at no sir it's it's not good um she thinks that i'd be the shot of her i don't she thinks that i'm like psychotic like literally psychopath sociopath something like that i i don't know exactly where

she's at she thinks i'm gonna kill her i want kill her, that I want to be the shadow of her. Do you? No, sir. Okay. Given what we know now, this footage is very interesting. Colin Griffith goes on to say his mother had attacked him. I don't want to hurt anyone, let alone my mom, even despite this happening, but I'm not going to take what I consider abuse when someone's attacking me. How is she attacking you? When she attacked me. When she threw a punch at me and grabbed onto me, I grabbed onto her back. I got her off of me.

She hit the ground, and then I flamed and called Rentis, and then he sent someone out. He called who? Rentis, Detective Rentis. Okay. the ground and then i flamed called rentis and then he sent someone out he called who rentis detective rentis okay the deputies then questioned colin about statements he made at the jail did you make any statements saying that you were gonna kill no if you got in a car with her i'm trying to figure out why we would have a corporal at the jail that took you out that dropped you off and telling us that you said don't put me in the car with her, I'm going to kill her. Yeah. Was that said?

I did not say I was going to kill her. I did not say kill. I don't know why he sent me back here. I asked him not to, but he said he didn't like my attitude and that I had to just walk away. And he sent me back here. But his words, not mine. Okay. We're just trying to figure out, we just want to make sure it's,

we do everything we can to prevent anything happening. Sir, given the situation, I don't think that we should be in the same house at all. I don't think it's okay. I mean, we're going to court anyways at 1. God knows what's going to happen then. How are you getting to court? By car. Do you drive? How old are you?

Yeah, but I have to have an adult in the car with me. You got a learner's permit? She's been trying to lure a confession out of me all day. Well, it's not, sorry, not all day, but. So you heard Colin Griffith tell the officers that his mother had been trying to lure a confession out of him all day. The deputies continue to question Colin about why he and his mom argue. And he tells them his mom had once pulled a gun on him. What does this all start over? Has this been ongoing forever or is this all from last night? For a long time. So I came to live with her

after my dad died and since then there's just been kind of times when things boil over with her and she acts out. One time she put a gun on me and I called the cops. I guess I just didn't I wouldn't believe.

Well what got her to the point that she's doing these things? I don't know. You have no idea. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she pulls a gun, hits you? It's because I'm driving her crazy somehow with the way that I act, and I don't know how I'm acting badly. She talks about school a lot. My grades are fine.

I got a 3.7 GPA. I mean, obviously, you're not, you know, you're a smart enough kid. I get that or whatever. But, I mean, obviously, it takes two to create this type of environment and this situation, right? I've heard nothing. You haven't said a word about what's going on, what you're doing, or what is going on to provoke this, or where it's coming from.

Other than, out of the blue, your mom flies off the handle and does this stuff. I'm struggling with that a little bit. She claims that because I don't help around the house, I don't seem to follow rules. The reason for her is that I don't make a schedule. I don't schedule my day. She has ADHD and a lot of other stuff. She was really abused by my dad from what I know. And that kind of just made it to where she has these very specific things that set her off, these triggers. Now remember, the entire reason Colin is in Florida at this point is because he killed his dad in Oklahoma on Valentine's Day in 2023. And Colin's mother took him to Florida to live with

her. The deputies asked Colin about his father's death. So how long ago was your dad attacked? Sorry to hear that. Seven months. Seven months. Yeah. He attacked me, my dad, and when he did he tried to come over and I and it was in Oklahoma and he died so how was that I shot him when he tried to come all right did you already have a gun in your hand or did you go get one I was fleeing and the house was filled with guns 23 to be exact and you knew who they were I didn't see one out i was just trying to run but when i was cornered and i had nothing else there was a gun just kind of what happened why was he trying to kill you he's also a bit of a case but um homophobia the deputies decide colin needs to be removed from the home again they cuff him and take him

to the cruiser his court date is coming up in a matter of hours then his mother speaks with him at the cruiser did you tell them at the jail that you were going to kill me did you say you were going to hurt me? Okay. I heard you say you were worried what was going to happen. Yes, they have to go. Colin had been placed on involuntary psychiatric holds. They're called Baker acts. The photos on social media in the summer of 2024 made it appear as if everything was great between Colin and his mom.

They looked really happy. Then on September 8th, Kathy Griffith was dead at her mother's house. Mom drives up here to Auburndale from Charlotte County. She arrives at four o'clock. At about 4.30, witnesses and neighbors see Colin and Mom arguing outside, and Colin grabs his mother by the hair and drags her into the house. Just about two hours later, that's when we receive a 911 call where Colin said, I've had a very, very long fight with Mom, and she fell on a knife and she's bleeding from the neck. When you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him, I see a psychopath. Colin Griffith has pleaded not guilty to the murder and kidnapping charges he faces.

He's right now being held without bail at the Polk County Jail. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.