Smirking Florida teen reacts as he gets away with killing both of his parents just two years apart

A Florida teen has been acquitted of stabbing his parent to decease - conscionable 2 years aft helium was besides cleared of fatally shooting his father.

Collin Griffith, 17, was found not guilty of first-degree execution and kidnapping successful the decease of his 39-year-old mother, Catherine Griffith, connected Wednesday.

Courtroom footage captured by Fox 13 showed the teen smirk and hug his defence attorneys portion the verdict was read.

His defence squad had argued Collin acted successful self-defense erstwhile Catherine was stabbed consecutive done the neck at a location successful Auburndale, Florida, connected September 8.

Just a twelvemonth before, Catherine had bailed her lad retired of jailhouse successful Oklahoma for fatally shooting his father, Charles Griffith, 43, connected Valentine's Day successful 2023 - an enactment helium besides claimed was self-defense. 

When Polk County Sheriff's Officers arrived astatine the country of Catherine's death, they said Collin claimed helium and his parent were fighting, and erstwhile she lunged astatine him, she fell connected the weapon and stabbed herself successful the neck.

However, prosecutors said witnesses reported seeing Collin resistance his ma retired of the location by her hairsbreadth 2 hours earlier, and a aesculapian examiner recovered she had been stabbed – doubly – successful the neck.

Prosecutor Mark Levine said successful the days earlier his mother's death, Collin and Catherine argued implicit chores, and past ran distant from location and went to his grandmother's location successful Auburndale.

After helium refused to spell backmost home, Catherine went to the Auburndale location connected September 8, 2024, and was stabbed.

Both the prosecution and defence described the problematic household dynamic that plagued the parent and lad earlier her death.

Levine said that portion Catherine tried to 'make up for mislaid time' with her lad - who moved from Oklahoma to her location successful Florida aft she bailed him retired - the brace started to clash.

Levine insisted that the parent and son's narration worsened starring up to her last time arsenic Catherine gave her lad respective 'ultimatums' successful speech for him to implicit household chores.

At 1 point, helium work a substance that Catherine sent to her lad betwixt 12 p.m. and 12:29 p.m. the time she died.

In the message, Catherine appeared to endanger her lad with accusation she had astir the decease of his father, telling him that she would walk it on 'all due to the fact that you didn't assistance maine equine a bookshelf.'

'Collin, the recordings of you admitting to sidesplitting [your father] and readying the murder, determination are 4 antithetic instances from my Ring camera, are each going to Bob, Susie, Amanda, and Chris astatine 3 p.m. today,' Catherine wrote to Collin.

'Plus the recovered audio from Chuck’s iCloud wherever you told your dada you hated maine and I was an evil b**** are being sent too. My dada is sending maine his recordings of you telling him however you planned my execution backmost successful February. … All due to the fact that you didn’t privation to assistance maine equine a bookshelf.' 

When Collin's attorney, Amy Thornhill, approached the stand, she told a precise antithetic story, alleging that Catherine caused a batch of the issues betwixt her and her son.

She said: 'Cathy has threatened oregon done harm to different people,' including Collin.

His lawyer besides noted that the precocious parent often instigated arguments, struggled with a drinking and pill occupation and was estranged from her family.

She went connected to uncover that some Collin and Catherine had been 'Baker Acted' - a authorities instrumentality that allows individuals to beryllium involuntarily committed if they are a menace to the nationalist oregon themselves.

Six months aft his father's death, Collin was backmost successful custody nether Florida's Baker Act aft threatening to termination himself and to stab oregon sprout his mother.

Collin claimed that his begetter had pulled a weapon connected him earlier chasing and cornering him astatine the distant farmstead successful Lincoln County, Oklahoma, connected Valentine's Day 2023.

He was initially charged with murder, but prosecutors 'could not disprove Colin's assertion of self-defense' and helium was released aft his parent posted bond.

'I admit each of the attraction the jurors paid to what was presented to them. It was a hard determination and I convey them,' Thornhill told the section quality outlet aft the verdict was read.

Despite Collin's not blameworthy verdict, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd issued a connection lasting by his investigation.

'Our detectives firmly judge that Collin Griffith murdered his mother. The assemblage determined that they could not convict him beyond and to the exclusion of each tenable doubt,' Judd said.

'During our investigation, detectives recovered witnesses that judge helium besides murdered his begetter successful Oklahoma. That probe is ongoing.'