The teenager who is 17-year-old will be prosecuted as an adult on charges of fatally stabbing his mother in Auburndale.
A grand jury indicted Collin Griffith of Port Charlotte on a capital felony charge of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith.
“I made the decision to charge this 17-year-old as an adult based on the egregious facts and circumstances of this case,” State Attorney Brian Haas said in a Youtube video. “Charging a minor as an adult is not a decision that I take lightly, but as state attorney is it my responsibility to do so when warranted. “
On Sept. 8, Polk deputies responded to a 911 call about 6 p.m. off Hewlett Drive in The Hamptons senior community in Auburndale. Griffith told the 911 dispatcher he and his mother had gotten into a lengthy fight, during which his mother lunged at him with a knife and fell on it, resulting in a deep stab wound to the neck, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd sad.
Upon the deputies’ arrival, Collin Griffith was standing outside the mobile home and immediately asked deputies to speak with a lawyer, Judd said.