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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alex Lang

Florida teen arrested for ‘murdering his mother’, one year after he was accused of shooting his dad dead

Polk County Sheriff’s Office

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A Florida teen is facing charges for murdering his mother after a heated argument - just a year after he was arrested and accused of shooting his dad dead.

Collin Griffith, 17, was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday in connection to his mother’s death.

Around 6 p.m., deputies responded to a home in Auburndale, Florida, after Griffith called 911 to say he and his mother got into a fight. He then said his mom lunged at him with a knife, but fell on it, resulting in a stab wound to her neck, according to the sheriff’s office.

His unnamed mother was pronounced dead at the scene.

Griffith was uncooperative with deputies and asked to speak to a lawyer at the scene, according to authorities. Investigators determined there were inconsistencies between his 911 call and the evidence.

Collin Griffith, 17, was accused of murdering his mom on Sunday in Florida. He was previously charged in connection to his father’s shooting death in Oklahoma in 2023, but those charges were later dropped. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)

Witnesses also said they saw Griffith and his mom arguing earlier in the day. They also saw him grab his mom by the hair and drag her in their home, according to authorities. The mom reportedly pleaded with him to “let me go.”

The teen’s grandmother also said there were previous incidents of confrontations between Griffith and his mom.

Griffith was arrested for the shooting death of his father in Oklahoma in February 2023, the grandmother revealed. Those charges were later dropped, but it’s unclear why.

The teen was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and violation of a contact order. He had been arrested in November on a domestic battery charge with his mother being the alleged victim.

“Collin Griffith is a violent predator—he has now killed both his father and his mother. We will hold him accountable in Polk County—we will do everything we can to keep him separated from civil society,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.

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