240: Did a Florida Teen Get Away With Murder - TWICE?! The OUTRAGEOUS Case of Collin Griffith

On Sunday, September 8th, 2024, 17-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 just after 6:00pm. He was at his grandmother’s house in Auburndale, Florida and told the 911 operator that he and his mom had gotten into a huge fight. He claimed that his mom, 39-year-old Catherine Griffith, had chased him around the house with a knife. But what really happened? Is this truly a case of self-defense or something far more sinister? The details of this case will truly SHOCK you…Get ready for another deep dive with your true crime bestie @_annieelise! Join our True Crime Club for access to BTS, Bonus Content, Our Private Group Chat, Giveaways and More! Shop Our True Crime Merch Follow the podcast on: IG, Facebook and TikTok For Business Inquiries: [email protected] About Annie Today’s Sponsors:Liquid IV: Go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ and use code AE for 20% off your first order! Mint Mobile: Visit https://mintmobile.com/ae and get 3 months of service for only $15 per month. CBDistillery: Visit https://cbdistillery.com and use code AE for 20% off your purchase. Hello Fresh: Visit https://hellofresh.com/ae10fm for FREE breakfast for life! Nutrafol: Go to https://nutrafol.com and use code AE for $10 off your first month’s subscription and FREE shipping! Episode Sources: People.comABC NewsNews 9NY PostWFLAInside EditionFox NewsNBC 2 NewsNewsweekCourt TV

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

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• 1:39Annie Elise?

  Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serial Sleuth.

• 2:02Annie Elise?

  Hey everybody, welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistically with me, Annie Elyse. Okay guys, now I know I talk to you all the time and we talk about how we're true crime BFFs, how I like to just break things down with you, talk through things. I don't even know where to begin with this case. I'll be honest, at first I wasn't really sure if I was going to cover it because it was interesting, but there were some unknown details. It was a little unclear, but just last week, something so insane happened in this case that I knew, okay, it's a no-holds-bar, I don't know if that's the expression, I think it is, like, I was like, I need to jump on the mic, I need to talk about this case because it is blowing my mind. It's a

• 2:46Annie Elise?

  case that everybody is talking about right now and quite honestly, it's not just because of what went down, but also because a jury just gave their verdict and people are absolutely outraged. It feels, you know, I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I just, never mind, disregard what I just said, but it involves two very similar incidents in two different states in less than a year and a half apart. And in each case, people are just stunned and truly like, gobsmacked over the way that the authorities handled things. So, it's a wild one and I'm

• 3:26Annie Elise?

  gonna probably put a poll at the end of this episode to know what you think because like I said, people are so disgusted and outraged right now. I knew I had to talk about this with you guys because I myself, and you'll get it towards the end, like, it's feeling very reminiscent of another case that we have talked about multiple times on here. So let me just jump right in. I feel like you need to know the backstory, you need to know all the details, even if you're familiar with this case already from the title. There is so much below the surface when we really started doing our digging. So let me just jump right in.

• 4:00Speaker 02

  She thinks that I'm like psychotic, like literally psychopath, sociopath, something like that.

• 4:07Speaker 03

  This is just from him kicking me with his foot.

• 4:12Speaker 03

  And stomping on me while I was in Florida.

• 4:14Speaker 04

  I'm trying to figure out why we would have a corporal at the jail that took you out, that, that dropped the gun and telling us that you said, "Don't put me in the car with her. I'm gonna kill her."

• 4:25Speaker 02

  Yeah, um.

• 4:26Speaker 04

  Was that said?

• 4:27Speaker 02

  I did not say I was gonna kill her. I did not say kill. If I think she's gonna do something, even if she's not, I might act.

• 4:34Speaker 05

  It's important to understand, when you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him, I see a psychopath.

• 4:43Annie Elise?

  So on Sunday, September 8th, 2024, 17-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 right after 6:00 PM. He was at his grandmother's house in Auburndale, Florida. And when he called, he told the 911 operator that he and his mom had gotten into a very big fight. He claimed that his mom, 39-year-old Catherine Griffith, had chased him around the house with a knife. Now, according to Colin, in the middle of this chase, she tripped, she fell over, and she accidentally stabbed herself in the neck. And Colin's exact words with this were, "I've had a very, very long fight with my mom, and she fell on a knife. She's bleeding from the neck."

• 5:23Speaker 06

  911, let's see if you're actually in emergency. Uh, I'm in Florida. I don't, I don't know, uh, the fucking, uh, I don't know if this is the case. My, my mom is having a BMS now. She's bleeding out. Please help. Your mom is doing what? My mom's bleeding out too. She, she, she's bleeding out. She, she's bleeding out. Really? She's bleeding out, sir? She's bleeding from the left hand. She's, she's my mother. Listen carefully.

• 5:50Speaker 06

  Like a flat back on the floor. I remember kicking under her head. I'm like, "What are you doing?" You know, you know, you're lying. You're like, "Tell me, why is me?" I'm like, "So, yeah." You're a shame, huh?

• 6:04Annie Elise?

  So the 911 operator told Colin that, you know, he needed to try and stop the bleeding. He needed to perform CPR. They also told him that the police were on their way. So Colin was panicked and did what the operator told him to do. But he also said in regards to stopping the bleeding, that his mom had actually been drained of all of her blood. So she wasn't bleeding. Like, all the blood's come out. It's either clotted, it's drained, it's not coming out anymore. But still, the operator told him to continue performing CPR. However, it seemed like he stopped at some point. Throughout the call, he did start expressing some panic and some confusion. So when the police officers arrived,

• 6:49Annie Elise?

  they really expected to find a 17-year-old kid who was just inconsolable. I mean, he just witnessed his mom accidentally stab herself in the neck and bleed out. But Colin wasn't inconsolable, not at all. He was actually the complete opposite. He was calm, he was cool, collected, unbothered. And this was all despite the fact that he was covered in his mom's blood. He seemed like he just didn't care. Even though his mom was still inside the house with him, she was still just bleeding from this deep wound that was on her neck. I mean, this was obviously a very dire circumstance. So it was very strange, to say the least. And things got even weirder. Because when the police asked Colin what happened,

• 7:32Annie Elise?

  his response was, quote, "I know my rights. I want a lawyer." He wouldn't say anything else to the police. He wouldn't tell the police any more information about what happened. He wouldn't tell them any more details about what went down during their alleged fight. He was just extremely uncooperative. A 17-year-old kid with his mother now with a knife wound in her neck. So as you can imagine, the police were pretty suspicious of him. I mean, for one thing, like I said, he was just way too calm. He just didn't seem to care about what happened at all. And also, layer on top of that, that if this was truly an accident, why would he immediately ask for a lawyer saying he knows his rights?

• 8:13Annie Elise?

  It just sounds like almost, I don't know, that he had been preparing for this exact moment? So the police interviewed neighbors in the area. And one of them said that about two hours before Colin called 911, so around 4:30 PM, they witnessed Colin and his mom arguing. And at one point, they say they witnessed Colin grabbing her by the hair. Now, the neighbor who witnessed it, Nancy Jones, said that it all started when Colin was at the house by himself. His mom Catherine arrived at around 4:00 PM and Colin came and met her outside. Nancy told the officers, "He opened up the door and there were a few arguments. I don't know exactly what the words were because I was sitting on my front porch, but the next thing I know, he grabs her and pulls her inside.

• 8:58Annie Elise?

  He just grabbed her. It looked like he grabbed her by the hair." And she said that his mother Catherine was screaming at him to let her go.

• 9:07Speaker 07

  It was really a sad day. They were yelling at one another and he grabbed her and drug her in the house and, like I said, I don't know what happened on the inside. I really don't. I feel so sad for, for the mother. I mean, the grandmother, you know, she's a friend of mine and I feel really, really bad for the whole family.

• 9:29Annie Elise?

  Now, even though this incident took place at Colin's grandmother's house, his grandmother wasn't home. She was at her other home in the Florida Keys and she didn't witness anything. However, she did let the officers know that she was apparently scared of Colin. She also said he had a very troubling past. And that is putting it mildly because once everybody learned more about Colin, it was clear why. It was clear why he not only had a troubling past, but why she was scared of him. Because it turns out, this wasn't the first time that somebody close to him had gotten hurt while they were alone with him. See, back on February 14th of 2023, so about a year and a half before this whole situation

• 10:09Annie Elise?

  happened, police in Lincoln County, Oklahoma also received a phone call from Colin. He was only 15 years old at the time and he called 911 saying that his dad, Charles, had been chasing him around the house with a knife. Sounds familiar, right? Well, Colin said that his dad cornered him in a room. So because of that, Colin had no other choice but to grab a shotgun that was nearby. I guess it was conveniently within arm's reach, I don't know. But he grabbed the shotgun and then he shot his dad twice. Once in the head and once in the chest. When the police officers arrived, Charles, his dad, was long gone. He was for sure already dead. But Colin claimed this was all self-defense.

• 10:53Annie Elise?

  However, the police, they weren't so sure. And there's not much information about this incident, but basically, the police were claiming that the evidence at the scene didn't quite match up with Colin's story. And I'm just picturing this whole incident in my head, okay? But Charles and Colin are fighting about something, I don't know, teenage parent stuff, who knows? Charles grabs a knife, then starts chasing Colin around the house, corners Colin inside a bedroom, or whatever type of room it was, a room that just so happens to have a loaded shotgun within arm's reach, and Colin is able to grab the gun and shoot his dad? Not once, but twice? Right in the head and right in the chest, I mean, perfect aim?

• 11:36Annie Elise?

  I don't know about you, but something about that story just does not add up to me. So the officers at the time tried to question Colin so that they could get a better picture of what really happened. Because like I said, things just weren't really adding up, and they weren't adding up for the police officers either. But Colin wouldn't talk to them. Almost immediately, he asked for a lawyer, hired a lawyer, and refused to talk to the police. Again, sounds pretty familiar, right? Well, Colin was arrested for the incident, and he was placed in jail. However, his mom paid his $50,000 bond, and he was let out of jail. This was all on the condition that he, of course, had to be on house arrest, he had to wear an ankle monitor, and they were going to monitor all of his movements. So police officers in Oklahoma were pretty sure that this whole thing was not self-defense.

• 12:21Annie Elise?

  However, they couldn't find enough evidence to prove otherwise. So in the end, any charges against Colin were dropped by March of 2023. And then he was sent to Port Charlotte, Florida to go live with his mother. Now, it turns out that Colin and his mother had not lived together for quite a while. The details surrounding Charles and Catherine's relationship aren't entirely clear, but some things that Catherine has posted on social media hint a little bit that their relationship wasn't great and possibly even abusive. The two of them had separated around 2019, and that's when Colin actually went to go live with his dad in Oklahoma. And it seems like he wasn't really even in contact with his mom after the move to Oklahoma. But again, the details, they're not entirely clear.

• 13:04Annie Elise?

  But either way, after his arrest in Oklahoma, Colin claimed that his life with his father had basically been a living hell, so much so that Colin had confided in his mom that his dad actually locked him up in the house for over 1,000 days, all because Colin had come out to him as gay. So that because of that, his dad retaliated and locked him inside the house for, to be exact, 1,041 days. He said that his dad wouldn't let him go to school, he wouldn't let him talk to other people, he wouldn't let him have any semblance of a life. He was just locked up in the house. He was only given one meal a day. And eventually, things escalated. It was very toxic between the two of them. And we, of course, then know what happened next.

• 13:47Annie Elise?

  But unfortunately, when Colin went to go live with his mother, things weren't any easier. Now, from the outside, it definitely didn't seem that way. Catherine posted a lot on Instagram and Facebook, and it seems like she may have had some other children aside from Colin, but she was always posting just about Colin. And again, if you were just looking at Catherine's social media, it would almost seem that she and Colin had this great life. Catherine was always smiling in her pictures. She always had this positive and uplifting caption that would be attached to them. She was also a teacher, and in one of her posts, she included a photo of a note that a student gave to her. The note said, "My teacher is very nice. She's always willing to help. She responds to messages very quickly and she grades very quickly, which I love.

• 14:32Annie Elise?

  She's patient, she listens to your responses clearly, and she helps you if you're in need." So aside from all of that, Catherine and Colin were Also always going to the beach together, always going on vacations together. They were going on cruises, going to Disney World, Universal Studios, Washington DC. I mean, you name it. It looked like it was a mother and son finally bonding after years of not having took quality time together and really rebuilding and repairing their relationship and just enjoying each other's company. Catherine even got Colin a brand new Volkswagen Jetta. She was just always going out of her way to do anything she possibly could for him, get him anything that would make his life easier for him and just be a really good mom.

• 15:14Annie Elise?

  But as we know, social media only portrays one side of the story and things behind the scenes were much rougher to say the least.

• 15:27Annie Elise?

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• 16:51Annie Elise?

  So about seven months after his father died, this was now on September 11th, 2023, an official from Colin's school called the police to conduct a mental health check at Colin and Catherine's house. That morning Colin had told a school employee that he and his mother had gotten into an argument before school. And according to Colin, Catherine said that she was going to kill him and then kill herself. Then she supposedly told Colin to take a gun that she had and to kill her with it. Now, obviously, this was super concerning. So a police officer went to their house to talk to Catherine. But she said that the story that Colin told, it wasn't true at all. She said that that morning, yes, they did get into a huge fight, but it was because Colin wasn't doing well in school. He was

• 17:35Annie Elise?

  failing all of his classes. So because of that, his mom took away his AirPods as a punishment. Catherine then said Colin was very angry about that, fuming even. And because of that, he must have made up the entire story about the gun all as a means to get back at her. Now, I don't know if Colin admitted to lying at that point, but I am thinking that he probably did, because after the police officer talked with Catherine, Colin ended up being Baker acted. Now, we've talked about this a couple of times in different episodes, but in Florida, the Baker Act is a law that focuses on providing emergency mental health services to somebody who's in need of it. So under this law, people can actually be involuntarily admitted to a mental health institution if they're found that they might

• 18:19Annie Elise?

  be a danger to themselves or a danger to somebody else. And it is all classified under the Baker Act. So after the police officers visited the family's home, it was determined that Colin was either a threat to himself or a threat to other people. So he was brought to a mental health facility, and he ended up staying there for a few days. Now, while he was there, his mom Catherine contacted several mental health facilities across the state, really trying to find the right one that would provide Colin with long-term help. She knew that he needed more help. She knew that there was something below the surface, and she wanted to help her son. Especially because apparently Colin was seeing a therapist well before he was Baker acted. But at one point, Colin threatened this therapist, saying he would kill her if she

• 19:02Annie Elise?

  ever diagnosed him with something. However, despite the threats and despite his reaction, the therapist still diagnosed Colin with PTSD and also a personality disorder. So after being Baker acted, Colin was only supposed to be at the original mental health facility for a very short while. After eight days, he was expected to go home. But before leaving, Colin apparently told the employees that he didn't want to leave, that he was going to either take his own life or kill them if he had to go home. And get this, he specifically said that he would quote, "throw them out of the car, or shoot them, or stab them." He also said, "I've done it before to my dad, I know I can do it again."

• 19:43Annie Elise?

  Now that statement is very alarming, because remember, his dad was killed in a motion of self-defense from Colin. So now for him to be bragging about it and say, "I don't want to go home. If I have to go home, I'm going to take my own life, I'm going to kill you two, I've done it before, I did it to my dad, I know I can do it again." That sounds to me like it's not somebody who is vocalizing that they're capable of protecting themselves, or killing in self-defense, but it almost sounds to me like it's somebody who's bragging that they have murdered before, and saying, "I know I can do it again," in terms of, "I know I can get away with it again." Again, that's just my opinion, I could be totally wrong. But suffice to say, he didn't go home that day. He was Baker acted, once again.

• 20:25Annie Elise?

  Now, his mom Catherine did end up finding another facility to go to that was closer to their home, and he spent around two months there. At one point, Catherine told someone at the facility, "I don't think he can come home, because I don't feel safe with him coming home and saying these things." And it isn't clear who she said this to, whether it was a therapist, a police officer, or maybe some other staff member. But I can't imagine how terrifying that must be, the idea of living with somebody who's actively telling other people that they are going to kill you. But eventually, Colin was sent back home, and things only got worse from there. Because just two months after he was initially Baker acted, now November 2023, Colin was arrested for domestic violence.

• 21:09Annie Elise?

  This was after pulling his mom's hair and kneeing her in the groin. The police were of course called after this incident, and, to nobody's surprise, when they arrived, Colin tried to claim that this was all an act of self-defense.

• 21:23Speaker 08

  I got off the phone with Renzis, we sat down and we ate and she started talking to me about how

• 21:30Speaker 08

  a bunch of really bad shit and then when I got up in and was like you you can't just do that and she was telling me to shut up. She hit me in the face and then I rea- I like reacted like this, she grabbed onto me, I hit her in the stomach and then uh I I'm a wrestler, it was just reactive, grabbed her, she got to the ground, I grabbed the phone, I started recording from her left.

• 21:55Speaker 06

  So she's she hit you in the face?

• 21:57Speaker 08

  Yeah.

• 21:58Speaker 06

  But we've been through this, you called Renzis because you know he kind of messed up, right?

• 22:01Speaker 08

  No, it it's because I I didn't know who else to call and I knew that and I wanted to make sure he knew first off.

• 22:07Speaker 06

  Okay.

• 22:08Annie Elise?

  Deputies put Colin in cuffs in the back of a cruiser and then talked to his mom Kathy.

• 22:13Speaker 09

  It's Catherine A Griffith, right? And then uh 9485?

• 22:18Speaker 06

  Yes.

• 22:18Speaker 09

  Okay, so I heard EMS is coming to check out your hand. Okay.

• 22:24Speaker 06

  Um let me- Right here because he kicked me.

• 22:27Speaker 09

  Okay, and can I see your hand? Okay.

• 22:30Speaker 06

  He kicked the phone out of my hand as I was trying to record it, I was on the ground.

• 22:33Annie Elise?

  Medics then checked out Kathy Griffith's injuries.

• 22:36Speaker 06

  It it hurts, I mean you can see how swollen my knuckles are. It's he literally like stomped on my hand to get the phone out of my hand. Let me see the 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 not from- It's all of this? Yeah, from here till about here. Okay, when did that happen? Um when he attacked me. Like but like was that like a couple minutes ago or an hour? Uh like in the past twenty thirty minutes and then he takes me here, I have like some weakness.

• 23:03Annie Elise?

  But Colin and Catherine weren't the only ones who witnessed this fight. Colin's grandmother was also there and she said it was definitely not self-defense.

• 23:13Speaker 06

  Colin did not want to come back home. Okay. 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 gonna be good for you. You don't have issues, you have to work on them. Mm-hmm. And, um, so we agreed, I talked him all the way, we, we talked all the way down. And I said, you have got to learn to get your anger under control. You wanna be a marine. People are gonna get it, I'm retired from the service. So am I. Very good. So I, I said, people are gonna get in your face. Mm-hmm. And you're gonna 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.

• 23:57Speaker 06

  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, he goes, no, but I said, there are, there are no buts. So, um, we got here. She, and Frances agreed, she's gonna lay the law down. You know, that she is the parent. Mm-hmm. She is doing what she thinks is best for him. Mm-hmm. That he's not gonna have his cellular phone. He's not gonna have access, cause he's like talking to some person on the cell, on, um, online, that we don't even know who this person is. Okay. Um, and that, um, she said, I don't want you ever calling me, um, a psychopathic narcissist

• 24:42Speaker 06

  anymore. I said, and he goes, no, I didn't. He goes, no, I heard you say that, so. Okay. He just, you know, he's 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. Mm-hmm. 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. I think he wanted the phone. And that's all he was concerned about, was getting. His phone back. His phone. 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.

• 25:24Speaker 09

  Yeah. And was she trying to record him with his own phone? Or mom?

• 25:29Speaker 06

  Two phones were involved.

• 25:30Speaker 09

  There was two phones.

• 25:31Speaker 06

  So it was his and hers? Mm-hmm. Okay.

• 25:32Speaker 09

  So she, just to kind of clarify, he's like, let's just do it. Um, um, 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?

• 25:45Speaker 06

  No.

• 25:46Speaker 09

  Okay.

• 25:46Speaker 06

  I just, because I was trying, I was trying to call also. Okay. So, but I was very worried she was on the ground. And I went and betrayed them. Mm-hmm.

• 25:55Speaker 10

  Deputies took Colin to jail, but before they did, his grandma spoke with him at the patrol car.

• 26:01Speaker 06

  You've got to get your anger out of control, okay? I'm seeing for it for you all the time, Colin, and I love you.

• 26:09Speaker 11

  I think my anger's fine, just that someone attacked me.

• 26:17Speaker 06

  What? I can't hear you, what? Do you think your anger's fine?

• 26:23Speaker 11

  Yes, it's just that someone attacked me, that's all I am.

• 26:27Speaker 06

  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 you all, and I'm trying to call Brenness.

• 26:43Speaker 11

  No, no. She hit me. She got on the ground. I leave her, and then I got her to down, and I wrestled her with another.

• 26:53Speaker 06

  I didn't see that, Colin. I really didn't.

• 26:57Speaker 06

  All I saw was you on the ground, or her on the ground, and you buy her. And you guys fight into the phone. So how did she get on the ground? Why did you stand up? And why did you say?

• 27:08Speaker 11

  Is that what you're trying to have a best case conversation?

• 27:11Speaker 06

  No, you didn't. You stood up and said, okay, let's do it. Let's do it.

• 27:18Speaker 06

  Yes, she did. I was there.

• 27:20Speaker 02

  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.

• 27:33Speaker 06

  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.

• 27:45Annie Elise?

  So this time, because someone else was there to witness what happened, namely Colin's grandmother, Colin was arrested and charged with domestic assault. However, he was released on bond. He was also placed on juvenile probation and a no violent contact order was put in place between him and his mom. So that meant that Colin was allowed to go back and live with his mom. But if he was violent again, his bond would be revoked and he would go back to jail. Now, before he was released back into his mom's custody, Colin told the police officers that he was not going to get inside a car with her. Once again, he said if he goes home, he's going to kill his mom. And yet, for whatever reason, I don't know how ass backwards this is, but he was still allowed to go home with her, despite him making these threats.

• 28:28Annie Elise?

  However, his comments did get him another visit from the police.

• 28:31Speaker 04

  Colin, right?

• 28:32Speaker 02

  Yes, sir.

• 28:33Speaker 04

  So what's going on, man?

• 28:34Speaker 02

  Um, last night, me and my mom went to a physical occupation. I got arrested for domestic battery, but going in front of a judge today, I have a record of helping find her and see how that goes.

• 28:47Speaker 04

  Okay. So what's, how is the situation with you and mom right now?

• 28:51Speaker 02

  Um.

• 28:52Speaker 04

  Things calm down?

• 28:53Speaker 02

  No, no, no, sir.

• 28:54Speaker 04

  Is it good along? What's, where are we at?

• 28:56Speaker 02

  No, sir. It's, it's not good. Um, she thinks that I'd be the shadow 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 going to kill her. I want to kill her. That I want to be the shadow of her.

• 29:16Speaker 04

  Do you?

• 29:16Speaker 02

  No, sir.

• 29:18Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 29:19Speaker 02

  I don't want to hurt anyone, let alone my mom, even despite this happening. But I, I'm not gonna take what I consider abuse when someone's attacking me and...

• 29:30Speaker 04

  How was she attacking you?

• 29:31Speaker 02

  When she, when she attacked me. When she threw a punch at me and grabbed on me. I grabbed on her back.

• 29:39Speaker 02

  I got her off of me. She hit the ground. And then I phoned and called Rentus and then he sent someone out.

• 29:46Speaker 04

  You called who?

• 29:46Speaker 02

  Rentus, Detective Rentus.

• 29:47Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 29:48Speaker 10

  The deputies then questioned Cullen about statements he made at the jail.

• 29:52Speaker 12

  Did you make any statements saying that you were gonna kill?

• 29:54Speaker 02

  No, sir.

• 29:55Speaker 12

  If you got in a car with her?

• 29:56Speaker 02

  No, sir.

• 29:57Speaker 04

  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 a car with her. I'm gonna kill her." When does this all start over? Has this been ongoing forever? Or is this all just happened last night?

• 30:12Speaker 02

  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 pulled a gun on me. I called the cops.

• 30:28Speaker 02

  I guess, I just didn't, I wouldn't believe.

• 30:31Speaker 04

  Well, what got her to the point that she's doing these things?

• 30:35Speaker 02

  I don't know.

• 30:36Speaker 04

  You have no idea? All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she pulls a gun or hit you?

• 30:41Speaker 02

  It's because that I am 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 670 GPA.

• 30:55Speaker 04

  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 in 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. Struggling with that a little bit.

• 31:20Speaker 02

  She claims that because I don't like help around the house, I don't seem to follow rules. The thing for her is that I don't make a schedule. Like, 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.

• 31:42Speaker 04

  So how long ago was your dad back? Sorry to hear that.

• 31:44Speaker 02

  Seven months.

• 31:45Speaker 04

  Seven months?

• 31:47Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 31:49Speaker 02

  He attacked me, my dad, and when he did, he tried to kill me and I was in Oklahoma and he died. How was that? I shot him when he tried to kill me. Did you already have a gun in your hand? Uh, I was fleeing and the house was filled with guns, twenty-three to be exact, and um... You knew where they were? I didn't see one out, I was just trying to run, but when I was cornered and I had nothing else that was a gun, shit, I died. Why was he trying to kill you? He's also a bit of a case, but um, homophobic.

• 32:32Annie Elise?

  So Colin was still saying that this was all self-defense, but the cops took him away yet again. But before he left, his mom confronted him while he was sitting inside the patrol car.

• 32:46Speaker 03

  Did you tell them at the jail that you were going to kill me? Did you say you were gonna hurt me? Okay, I heard you say you were worried what was gonna happen. Ma'am, yes, they have to go.

• 33:01Speaker 04

  Here in the body camera that day, you can hear deputies explaining to the mom why he's being taken away.

• 33:08Speaker 06

  But I struggle with a kid that's being released from jail and saying if you bring me back there, she's gonna die.

• 33:15Speaker 04

  If we don't do something, then...

• 33:19Speaker 06

  Shame on us.

• 33:20Speaker 04

  Yeah, then we're not...

• 33:21Speaker 06

  Shame on us that we didn't do the job and we failed you. And I'm not failing you, nor am I gonna fail your son.

• 33:26Annie Elise?

  So some time passed, and then in February of 2024, which is a year after his dad died, Colin ran away from home. Once again, he and his mom had gotten into an argument about something, you know, something or another, whether it was him on his cellphone, his AirPods, whatever it may be, his grades, and this time, instead of hurting her, he got into his car and he drove to his grandmother's house in Auburndale, Florida, which is about a two-hour drive from where he lived with his mom in Port Charlotte. Now, the reason he went there is because he knew that his grandma wasn't home. She was at her other house in the Florida Keys, so he knew that he would have the... Entire place to himself. Now, his mom Catherine knew where Colin was. She knew where he went, but she still reported him missing to the Port Charlotte Police. Colin's grandma also called the police and she told them, "Look, even though I'm not at

• 34:11Annie Elise?

  my house in Auburndale and even though I'm in the Florida Keys, I still don't feel safe with Colin being at my house. Like, you gotta go get him. You gotta take him home." So, two days after Colin ran away, the officers found him in Auburndale. He was turned over to the Department of Children and Families and they were gonna bring him back to his mom in Port Charlotte. But, once again, like clockwork, guess what he said before he was turned back over to his mom? He said he was going to kill her and he this time said he would use any force necessary to do it. But despite all of that, Colin was still reunited with his mom.

• 34:50Annie Elise?

  Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that new customers who bundle and save with Progressive save hundreds. Because switching your home and auto insurance is way better than cutting down on the things you love, like those iced lattes that help you get ready to face the day. So, switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep sipping away. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers not available in all states. So Colin is back with his mom at this point now, but it has been a very tumultuous 12 months. His father died, he had killed him in self-defense, he had multiple arrests or not arrests, but I guess police taking him away. And he did have a lot of domestic disturbance phone calls.

• 35:34Annie Elise?

  He had been admitted in and out of different mental health facilities. He was constantly making threats against his mother and other people, even threatening to take his own life. It was just a very rough 12 months, a very rough period. And unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Months went by after being reunited with his mom and things were still rocky. Catherine's social media even indicated that she was having a rough time. At the beginning of September 2024, she posted this on Facebook. "I am thankful that no matter what I encounter or experience, I have family, friends, and a community of people who are here to support me, even on the days when I have not been the best me." Thank you to everyone who has helped me see that this life is an adventure worth

• 36:17Annie Elise?

  living and fighting for every day. Life lessons are just those, lessons. Then, a few days later, she posted a photo with lyrics from the Taylor Swift song "It's Time to Go." These lyrics read: "That old familiar body ache, the snaps from the same little breaks in your soul. You know when it's time to go. Sometimes, giving up is the strong thing." Then, on September 6th, Catherine and Colin got into another argument, this time about chores. Once again, Colin wasn't happy, so he ran away to his grandma's house in Auburndale. Again, once again, she was in the Florida Keys, so Colin had the home all to himself. Now, this was a violation of Colin's probation that stemmed from his arrest back in November

• 37:01Annie Elise?

  of 2023, because he wasn't supposed to leave Charlotte County, where Port Charlotte was located. But Catherine was trying to give Colin some space, and she hoped that he would just come home on his own. However, she was starting to get a little bit worried, because he was violating his probation, and this meant that if he didn't come home on his own, his probation was going to still be in effect. He would not be let off. So she texted him on September 7th, asking him to come home. But he refused. Then, on the morning of September 8th, she sent the following text message to her neighbor. She said, "Hi, if Colin texts you again, please tell him he needs to come home. He's violating his probation, which he was supposed to be off of as of October 6th, 2024. But now, he will never be, because I'm meeting with his probation officer Monday morning

• 37:46Annie Elise?

  if he doesn't come home by 10 a.m. today. He knows the time and deadline, and he's choosing to skip it and hide out at my mom's house in Polk County, which is a violation." He won't listen. "I am going to drive to get him, and if he doesn't get in the car, then Polk County can deal with him." She texted another neighbor, "Hey, please do not let Colin or the police into my home. I'm not opening my door, and according to my attorney, they have no authority to make me speak with them or to come into my house. Please don't come down and try to come in, because they will try to follow you in if you unlock my door. I'm safe and fine. Colin just hates me, and honestly, I'm tired of this crap." And those text messages are very concerning because not only does it sound to me like

• 38:30Annie Elise?

  a mother who was just very frustrated and quite honestly at her wits end, but also trying to still protect her son, make sure that he gets home and doesn't violate his probation, and trying to do what she can do to manage the situation. So at around 2:00 PM, Catherine still couldn't convince Colin to come home. So she did what she felt she had to do, and she drove the two hours to Auburndale and arrived there right around 4:00 PM. And two hours after she arrived, Colin placed that 911 phone call that we talked about at the beginning of this episode.

• 39:04Speaker 05

  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." Our investigation clearly and unequivocally shows that that circumstance did not occur like that. In fact, he used similar language to when he made the 911 call, what, 18 or 20 months

• 39:49Speaker 05

  earlier, when he shot and killed his father.

• 39:54Annie Elise?

  And while Colin's behavior was already suspicious to the police, what they found inside the house made them even more suspicious. Remember, Colin claimed that he and his mom had this huge fight, that they were running around all over the house, and made it seem like it was just complete chaos. But that is not at all what the authorities found when they went inside.

• 40:15Speaker 05

  We looked inside the house. He said there was a protracted fight. And the home is neat and clean and no evidence of any kind of a large fight or a long fight, as he said.

• 40:31Annie Elise?

  Inside the house, hardly anything was out of place. They did, however, find a bloody 12-inch kitchen knife with a 8-inch blade, but nothing else indicated that a huge fight happened. They also, of course, found Catherine. And unfortunately, Catherine was pronounced dead shortly after the police arrived. The next day, an autopsy was performed, and the medical examiner was not buying Colin's story at all. Catherine had this wound to her neck that was incredibly deep, and it wasn't consistent with her just falling accidentally on this knife. To the medical examiner, it seemed more likely that someone purposefully plunged this knife into Catherine's neck. The wound, it seemed intentional, not accidental.

• 41:16Annie Elise?

  And the sheriff didn't hold back any punches when he described what the authorities thought happened.

• 41:21Speaker 05

  It's important to understand, when you look at this, you see a kid. When I look at him, I see a psychopath. I see totally erratic behavior, to the point that he's already, at 17 years of age, shot and killed his father and got away with it, and stabbed his mother in the neck so hard that the knife went all the way through and was to the back of her neck. And she died there. He's being charged with first-degree murder, obviously, and we're asking the state attorney's

• 42:05Speaker 05

  office, it's their decision, but our state attorney's office is the greatest, to prosecute him as an adult. We've also wrapped back around with the prosecutors, the DA's offices, they call them in Oklahoma, and they said, "If we develop information during this investigation that allows them, they will reopen the murder investigation."

• 42:34Speaker 05

  In Oklahoma and potentially charge him out there. But at this time, they did not have sufficient, sufficient information to charge him with murder. The unfortunate thing was now he's killed two people and killed his mother and father. And I can assure you beyond into the exclusion of every reasonable doubt, based upon his conduct, had he gone to live with his grandmother at the end of this and she crossed him, she would be next.

• 43:08Speaker 05

  He's violent, he's dangerous, he showed zero remorse, zero remorse. When he was being interviewed, in fact, when we attempted the interview, he met the original deputy in the front yard. And he didn't say, Mom's in here, Mom's bleeding to death, Mom needs help. He looked the deputy in the eye and says, I know my rights, I want an attorney.

• 43:41Speaker 05

  Zero emotion about hurry up, help Mom, she's bleeding, she, she's got a problem.

• 43:48Speaker 05

  He is a dangerous human being.

• 43:51Speaker 05

  And we have him securely locked up. And we are working with the state attorney's office, we're putting the rest of the investigation together. We, we have begun to talk to some of the family, which had, which has confirmed that he is a dangerous person.

• 44:10Annie Elise?

  So a lot of people now have the same question. How had Colin gotten away with killing his dad the year before?

• 44:17Speaker 13

  Do you think the system failed him that he should have never been out, I mean, after killing his father?

• 44:22Speaker 05

  Well, so when you, when you look at this and you see.

• 44:28Speaker 05

  How violent and how dangerous he is. It makes you wonder to what extent and what depth of investigation was done because they released him from that murder charge that was lodged apparently within a month or so because they were shipping him to his mother that quick. Now, did they wrap it up in that short period of time? Or did they just say, hey, take him home and notified the family later that we're not going to charge him? I don't know. But it's important to be accountable and responsible for your own actions. My question is, was there anything else that could have been done?

• 45:12Speaker 05

  Because had Oklahoma been able to act, Catherine would be alive and well today. But because she took him and tried to do like a mother should do and take care of him, she's now dead. Every body that's special, should be special to him and his life, is dead when they crossed him.

• 45:38Speaker 06

  Is there any of your, uh?

• 45:42Speaker 05

  We, we're looking through that now to see what, what his family history there may be.

• 45:49Speaker 06

  He has a charge of violation of no contact order. What, who filed that?

• 45:56Speaker 05

  We're, we're working through the back, the back pages now. Obviously, he's been involved with DCF and Oklahoma if for no other reason from the murder. He was involved with DCF here. We've been putting together our criminal case here. We will go through the back pages of him and any other interactions he's had with the system to try to determine.

• 46:26Speaker 05

  Everything that we can. But what we know for sure is he's violent and he's dangerous and he'll kill you because he's done that on two occasions.

• 46:34Annie Elise?

  So a week after Catherine's death, Colin was indicted for first degree murder. He was also indicted on kidnapping and he was charged with violating his no violent contact order. The state attorney later announced whether or not they would charge Colin as an adult.

• 46:48Speaker 14

  I'm Brian Hawes, state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida. The Polk County grand jury indicted Collin Griffith on the charge of first degree murder for the killing of his mother in Amherdale last week. I made the decision to charge this 17 year old as an adult based upon the egregious facts and circumstances of this case. Charging a minor as an adult is not a decision that I take lightly, but as state attorney, it is my responsibility to do so when warranted. There have been many questions regarding an incident from Oklahoma last year where Collin Griffith killed his father. While I have been informed that charges were not brought in that case, Polk County law enforcement

• 47:29Speaker 14

  continues to work with the authorities in Oklahoma to be sure they are provided all relevant information and evidence that will allow them to continue to evaluate their case as they deem necessary. The Polk County, Florida murder charge will now move on to an arraignment. My prosecutors and the deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office will continue to work together to pursue justice in this case and hold Collin Griffith accountable for his murder.

• 47:56Annie Elise?

  Now, since all of this has happened, the Lincoln County Police in Oklahoma have said that they are willing to look back into Colin's case, especially if they receive any evidence to indicate that Charles' death wasn't an accident, that it wasn't self-defense, that this was cold calculated murder. So Colin was denied bond and stayed in jail. And after his arrest, he entered a plea of not guilty. But before his trial, his attorney filed a motion requesting to exclude any information regarding his father's death. They didn't want any of that information or any of those details getting entered into Colin's trial for his mother's death. They claimed that his dad's death wasn't relevant, so there should be no mention of it at the trial for Catherine's death.

• 48:39Annie Elise?

  Now, in this motion, Colin's attorney also included information that was clearly Colin's version of events of what took place. He claims that he didn't run away. His mom kicked him out of the house on September 6th. So, heartbroken and crying, he called his grandma to see if he could go stay at her house, which she said yes to. So he did that. He went and stayed at his grandma's house. And when Catherine came to get him, he says the two of them fought. And then, get this, she is the one who stabbed herself. The motion states that Colin called 911 hysterical and crying, and I will say, he did sound upset in the call, but all of the first responders who arrived on the scene claimed that Colin was the exact opposite of hysterical.

• 49:24Annie Elise?

  So what was really true here? Was part of that a performance? Was he lying? We know his defense has to come up with something. So Colin's trial date was set for January 29th, 2025. And in the pre-trial hearings, Colin's attorneys were really trying to get some of Colin and Catherine's text messages excluded from evidence. And the lead detective Danny Peters testified at a hearing about those text messages, why they were important and why people were trying to get them excluded. Specifically, he pointed to a text message that was sent by Catherine on the day that she was murdered. In it, she supposedly told Colin that he needed to be home by 10 a.m., or else she was going to release Ring camera footage. Now, this footage allegedly showed Colin admitting to multiple people that he not only

• 50:09Annie Elise?

  killed his dad, but it was all planned. It wasn't self-defense, but it was an intentional murder, complete with a cover-up. In another message from Catherine to her mother, she said something similar. If Colin didn't come home, she was going to release this footage. Then, in a conversation between Catherine and her father, Robert, Robert claimed that he had a recording where Colin allegedly confessed to killing his father. But here's the thing, Detective Peters testified that they haven't been able to find any of that evidence. No Ring camera footage showing Colin's confession. No recording on Robert's phone where Colin admits to killing his dad. But Robert, his grandfather, did meet with the detectives and he made a statement that Colin

• 50:52Annie Elise?

  did tell him he planned and murdered his father on purpose. So just days after the lead detective testified at the pre-trial hearing, Colin's attorneys tried to have some of those text messages tossed out as evidence. And their argument? They claimed that Catherine had found out certain things about Colin all by snooping through his personal text messages. Now, it isn't exactly clear what was inside those messages, but the lawyers said that Catherine had no right to read them in the first place because it was a major violation of Colin's privacy. And because she might have found something incriminating in those text messages and then sent that to others, they wanted those texts completely excluded from the evidence. But of course, the prosecution, they had a different take.

• 51:35Annie Elise?

  They argued, no, no, no, this wasn't a violation of privacy at all. Catherine was Colin's mother. And, parents, in the prosecution's eyes, they have certain privileges when it comes to supervising their kids. So for them, it was just a mom doing her job. It wasn't this invasion of privacy like the defense was trying to make it. Which, I gotta agree with that. If you're a minor child, your parent has every right to go through your text messages. I know that might be a hot take, and probably is a violation to some degree, but enough to throw it out as evidence? Certainly not. Is she the one paying the phone bill? Is she the one that the contract is in the name of? Then, by all means, snoop away. Snoop, snoop, snoop away. So at this same hearing, the judge contemplated whether or not it should be mentioned that Colin killed his dad.

• 52:21Annie Elise?

  Now, this doesn't mean that the crime wouldn't be mentioned at all, but the judge thought that maybe Charles's name shouldn't be brought up. Maybe it shouldn't be stated that he was Colin's dad. So if the crime came up, it was going to be more general, like, well, yes, Colin was involved in a self-defense killing in Oklahoma, but no other details other than that. The judge also pointed out that the whole thing with Charles might not even be super relevant to the case with Catherine. And the logic here is that even if Colin did intentionally kill his father... It doesn't automatically mean that he intentionally killed his mother. And I'm not saying I totally agree, but that is the argument that they were making. But I'm sure something that has crossed your mind or something you're thinking, which I have thought about as well, is

• 53:06Annie Elise?

  what if Colin felt threatened by his mom saying she was going to release the evidence of his confession? The recording, the ring camera footage, all of that. That could have easily been his motive for killing her. If she was going to spill his secret, he might have felt like he needed to kill her in order to protect himself. So if the prosecution could prove that Catherine's threats were what really pushed Colin over the edge, then the judge said that it could be mentioned in his trial that Colin also killed his father, Charles. But long story short, the judge ended up deciding that Charles's name could not be brought up during the trial. The only thing that could be mentioned was that Colin was involved in a killing. If anyone brought up Charles by name, they could be charged with contempt of court,

• 53:49Annie Elise?

  and then the trial would also be declared as a mistrial. And this felt like a huge blow to the prosecution, to the public. I mean, you're not giving the jury the full picture of what happened here. Although I get it, in a lot of cases, not just this one, you can't necessarily bring in information from former crimes or other circumstances because it is not relevant to the crime that you're on trial for. So Colin's trial officially began on January 29th, 2025. And it did not go how you are expecting.

• 54:24Annie Elise?

  All right, I feel like we need to just have an honest conversation here in the circle of trust. Can we talk about how literally everything seems to be getting more expensive? Groceries, gas, rent, you name it. And apparently, your wireless bill wants to join in on that party too. But here's the thing, it doesn't have to. Mint Mobile is making it so much easier to stop overpaying for wireless with plans starting at just 15 bucks a month. And you're not sacrificing quality either. All plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and access to the nation's largest 5G network. You can also use your current phone and your current phone number. You just sign up online and you are good to go. Now, I changed carriers probably a year and a half ago at this point to Mint Mobile.

• 55:08Annie Elise?

  And when I tell you, not only was it the best decision of my life, I now have like service in places my husband doesn't even have service, but it was so easy. It took me 15 minutes, kept my phone, kept my phone number. It was the best. So for a new wireless plan, starting at 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/ae. That's mintmobile.com/ae. $45 upfront payment required, equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. So Colin's trial begins. And at the trial, the prosecution based their argument around the fact that Colin had a history of violence. He also had a difficult relationship with his mother. So they say that he viciously attacked her.

• 55:51Annie Elise?

  And they say that he wounded her so severely that when the paramedics arrived, they could see the floor through the hole in Catherine's neck.

• 56:02Speaker 15

  It was a Sunday evening,

• 56:05Speaker 15

  September 8th of last year,

• 56:10Speaker 15

  in Auburndale, Florida.

• 56:14Speaker 15

  And it was at that time that the defendant viciously and savagely

• 56:21Speaker 15

  unleashed his full fury and hatred towards his mother upon her.

• 56:28Speaker 15

  When he stabbed her with such force that the knife went shooting through her neck,

• 56:36Speaker 15

  through her neck muscles, through her esophagus,

• 56:42Speaker 15

  through her trachea,

• 56:45Speaker 15

  through her thyroid cartilage, and shot out the other side of her neck.

• 56:55Speaker 15

  You will hear and see that as this happened,

• 57:01Speaker 15

  she began to bleed and bleed profusely through the huge gash in her neck.

• 57:10Speaker 15

  While she bled, the defendant was there and watched as the blood

• 57:19Speaker 15

  came out of the huge hole in her neck. You're going to hear that he was there as he watched the blood and the life drain from her body

• 57:31Speaker 15

  until she took her final breath and was officially dead. You're also going to hear that this was exactly what the defendant meant to do. And that this is exactly what the defendant had thought about doing and had wanted to do for quite some time.

• 57:52Annie Elise?

  Throughout the trial, the prosecution really painted this picture of Colin being this extremely spoiled kid. That his mom was constantly buying him nice things, fancy vacations, getting him these gaming consoles. And like, he had this endless supply of Starbucks, just really never wanted for anything. And they said that if she ever threatened to take those things away, well, that's when Colin would completely lose it and start threatening her. They also brought out several witnesses to support their claim that Colin had a history of being violent. One of them was Deputy Alexander Sharp, the officer who responded to that domestic violence call that led to Colin's arrest back in November of 2023.

• 58:31Annie Elise?

  According to Deputy Sharp, when he arrived on the scene, Colin was totally calm and totally collected, almost like nothing even happened. Meanwhile, Catherine was visibly shaken, and she even had marks on her stomach from where Colin had hit her. Colin, however, claimed that Catherine is the one who punched him in the face first. So he says because of that, he kneed her in the groin to defend himself. But Deputy Sharp had a hard time believing this story because Colin didn't have a single mark on him. No bruising, no redness, no swelling, nothing that backed up his version of events. Other witnesses who testified for the prosecution were officers who worked at the facility where Colin was Baker acted.

• 59:12Annie Elise?

  One detective testified that she even heard Colin make several statements about wanting to hurt or kill his mother. He even said that he would rather be in a psych ward, in jail, or in foster care rather than live with Catherine. She continued that Colin was just a very manipulative person who became furious anytime somebody told him no. But he also knew how to be respectful to the right people, like his grandma, who frequently brought him things while he was in that facility. Another witness, Corporal Joella Moore, testified that Colin told her that he had two different personas. Colin one and Colin two. Colin one was just trying to survive and get through each day. But Colin two, he was a completely different story.

• 59:55Annie Elise?

  Colin two would do anything to protect Colin one, including killing his mother. However, on another occasion, she recalled Colin saying that Colin one would probably kill his mom too. Catherine's father, Colin's grandfather, Robert, also took the stand. And he testified that he remembered Colin saying multiple times that he was going to hurt his mother.

• 1:00:18Speaker 16

  Based upon your personal observations, did it appear that the defendant trusted you and would talk to you and provide to you about certain things? Grandfather, grandson, the topics?

• 1:00:28Speaker 17

  Yes.

• 1:00:29Speaker 16

  Did there come a time when the defendant said something to you that was very disturbing to you?

• 1:00:34Speaker 17

  Yes.

• 1:00:35Speaker 16

  Tell the jury about what the defendant said to you.

• 1:00:43Speaker 17

  My grandson was very aggravated at his grandmother and his mother.

• 1:00:51Speaker 17

  He said, I am so tired of these two bitches. I'm disgusted. He said, my mom,

• 1:01:00Speaker 17

  I keep thinking over and over, I want to slit her throat. I want her to bleed out. I want to smell the blood. I want to feel the blood. I want to feel the life and the blood leaving her body.

• 1:01:15Speaker 16

  Now, when he said that, what went through your mind?

• 1:01:18Speaker 17

  I needed to take a deep breath and do what I could to discourage that thought because thoughts become words, words become actions.

• 1:01:30Speaker 16

  What did you say to him in response?

• 1:01:33Speaker 17

  I said, Colin, I love you, buddy, but you can't have those kinds of thoughts and focus on them and then speak them because you will cause them to become reality. Please think positive things about your mom, about yourself, and about a good future together.

• 1:01:51Speaker 16

  Now, at any point, did you warn your daughter about what the defendant was wanting to do to her?

• 1:02:00Speaker 17

  I did, but I did not use the exact words because there was so much malice. There was.

• 1:02:07Speaker 16

  Objection, Judge.

• 1:02:12Speaker 16

  Now, were you, to explain to the jury, were you concerned that if you used the exact words the defendant said that he wanted to do to his mom, that that might negatively affect their mother-son relationship?

• 1:02:26Speaker 17

  It would, and I was afraid it would actually go right in there.

• 1:02:30Speaker 16

  Could you tell her a clean version, or a more vanilla version, if you will?

• 1:02:38Speaker 17

  Yes, I do.

• 1:02:39Speaker 16

  What was her response?

• 1:02:40Speaker 17

  That he's been threatening her, and he's been threatening Susan multiple times with killing both of them.

• 1:02:54Annie Elise?

  The prosecution then brought lead detective Danny Peters to the stand, and he discussed that ring camera footage that was found the morning of September 8th, the day that Catherine died. In that footage, Catherine is on the phone with Colin, who has already left the house and was at his grandmother's house.

• 1:03:10Speaker 03

  No, you told me you were calling him. You told me you were gonna get your neighbor over there, or I'm sending the police. Do you want the police to go? Do you rather have the police go? Okay, I will not take the call from you after this ever again. If Colin's not here by 10 o'clock, I'm next to you. Do you understand me? Do you understand me? Do you understand me? Do you understand me? Yes or no? I need a yes or no. Yes or no? Do you understand me? Okay. You don't understand. So are you returning home or no?

• 1:03:51Annie Elise?

  Then, the footage captures Catherine on the phone with her mom.

• 1:03:57Speaker 03

  Ian, you lied to me while we were here. I said, "Do you have him?" You said, "No," and I don't know where he is. You said that to me. Okay, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because you still don't have eyes on him. He's talked to you. No, he's already talked to you, because I can see where you guys have been talking. So if he's not here by 10 o'clock, I'm sending the cops. I'm... Oh, it is. It is. We're all losing our jobs, and he's losing everything. That's why I signed the car over to myself. I need the money. So I'm taking the car, I'm taking everything. So I'm about to go up there and go and get the car, because the car is mine. I have this in my name. This mobile notary came.

• 1:04:41Speaker 03

  I don't have to send you copies, he already sent you the title.

• 1:04:52Speaker 03

  He already sent you a picture of the, of the title. And you've already saw what it looked like, so I'm not gonna send you. Uh, okay, then you need to go back through the pictures, cuz you also said you don't have the picture, or that you're, you also said that you don't show the call records and that you can leave calling, even though he's there at your house, so you're illegally. The law.

• 1:05:11Speaker 03

  Tell him. For how? And then he has to go back home. Is that correct? No. I'm asking you, I'm asking you a specific question. Have you told him he needs to go back to this house?

• 1:05:24Speaker 03

  No. Did you tell him that he needs to be back home to this house by 10 a.m.? And he needs to vacate your house if he does not have permission to be at your home. He completely blocked me, and he's completely removed himself from his Apple ID so that he cannot be tracked. So, right on that.

• 1:05:41Speaker 06

  I said, I said, I said, I said.

• 1:05:45Speaker 03

  He, no, his phone is off, his phone is off now, I told you that. I said, if he didn't get in the car and come home, that was what was gonna happen. And you said, I will make sure he is there by 10 a.m.

• 1:06:00Speaker 03

  I told you I was going to, I told you I was going to, if, if you didn't do this.

• 1:06:06Speaker 03

  No, that, that, that, that's, that's not what I said, his phone is still on right now. His service is working.

• 1:06:15Speaker 03

  He, he's not gonna answer, he's not gonna answer, I showed you. Oh, stop, will you listen to me? Do you see the call log? He did not try to call me at all yesterday. He is lying to you. I sent you his entire call log, that's from AT&T, that's not from his iCloud account, that's from AT&T.

• 1:06:34Speaker 03

  He, that's, that's not what the court was said. It said he specifically has to leave a voicemail. But it doesn't matter, because if he doesn't, that's fine. But I'm telling you right now, I have held everybody off. I said, "It's a private family matter, I'm sure he'll be back home." And everybody said, "We'll give him 24 hours." That is until 10 o'clock today, Mom. That's why I said he had until 10 a.m. today. Mom? Babe? It doesn't matter, Babe gave me until 10 a.m. The police. They said, "I need my fucking computer." And I said, "Fine, come on and get it." I told him to be back after work. It's on the fucking camera!

• 1:07:14Speaker 03

  I don't give a shit. I don't give a flying fuck. Did I tell you? Did I tell you to let him stay at your house?

• 1:07:25Speaker 03

  Did I tell you to let him stay at your house? How about you have I not told you multiple times in the past that he is never to stay at your house ever again? No, without my consent. And I have not consented. Do you hear me? To have Colin?

• 1:07:42Speaker 03

  Answer to me! Answer me! Do you understand that you do not have my consent to have Colin? Do you understand that?

• 1:07:51Speaker 03

  No, answer my question, do you understand? No, I didn't, I never threw him out, and it's on the ring camera. Never threw him out! Never threw him out!

• 1:08:02Annie Elise?

  At the end of this footage, Catherine left her house to go find Colin. And this footage was the last footage of her seen alive. Detective Peters then read text messages between Colin and Catherine, which they ended up extracting from Colin's phone. In these messages, Catherine repeatedly told Colin that she was going to shut down his phone, that she was going to cancel his car insurance, that she was going to sell his car, and that she was going to pull him out of school. In one message, she wrote, "You said you hated me and I was an evil bitch. My dad is sending me the recording of you planning my murder. Good luck hiring a lawyer." But unfortunately, Catherine's dad never sent those recordings. And Catherine never did follow through. with any of those threats. So then it was the defense's turn to present their case.

• 1:08:47Annie Elise?

  And they argued that the prosecution was just making a case out of emotions, not facts. They argued that Catherine was volatile. She was the one who was manipulative. She was the one who lied. And she was the one who created this tumultuous home environment for Colin. They argued that Colin didn't leave their home in September. He had to leave because Catherine kicked him out. They also argued that Colin never pulled his mom by the hair outside of his grandma's home. Instead, their version of events was that Catherine pulled up to the home to get Colin, and she started screaming at him. So to avoid making a scene, Colin asked her to be quiet and then guided her inside by the arm where they could have more of a private conversation and not bring so much attention to themselves.

• 1:09:32Annie Elise?

  However, the neighbor who witnessed this whole altercation testified that Colin did not just gently grab her arm and guide her inside. He violently pulled her by the hair while Catherine was telling Colin, "Let me go." Now Catherine's mom testified too, but she testified for the defense. She was basically in total support of Colin. And this was really surprising to me because supposedly, remember, she made the statements in the past where she expressed that she was scared of Colin. And you even heard her earlier calling BS on his version of events, but now here she was testifying for him. Now I will say that that could either be because she truly believed Colin and believed

• 1:10:13Annie Elise?

  that this was accidental and that Catherine did this to herself, or it could be that she was his grandma. She felt sorry for him. He now no longer had his father, his mother. She loves her grandson. She wants to protect him. Maybe it was like her just being in denial and wanting to save him and protect him. So in her testimony, she testified that Catherine was unpredictable, often randomly cutting off family members and in general, having a pretty bad relationship with most of them. And apparently Catherine had also been Baker acted a few times and had tried to take her own life on multiple occasions. Colin's grandmother also claimed that Catherine lied often about a lot of things. She even claimed that Catherine lied once about being sexually assaulted.

• 1:10:58Annie Elise?

  And on top of that, she testified that she even witnessed Catherine handing Colin a gun and telling him to shoot her with it. She said that she beat him with a belt, made him do pushups, made him hold a weight over his head while he ran in place. Just a lot of horrific behavior for a mother to push onto her son. However, on the flip side, she also said that one time Colin took a knife from her house. And on that same day, Catherine called her, expressing her fear of Colin. She also recalled a time where all three of them went out to dinner at a restaurant, and Catherine had said that she was going to take Colin's Xbox away, his video game console. And Colin tried to get into a fight with her right there at the restaurant.

• 1:11:41Annie Elise?

  He actually tried to get her to fight him. And it just sounds like a very volatile relationship between both of them. And maybe they both needed help, I don't know, but it seems like there was definitely some toxic behavior. So then, as the defense is carrying on with their case, in a very shocking twist, the defense claimed that Catherine's death was actually a case of, quote, "suicide by son." Now, their argument was that Colin and Catherine did, yes, get into a fight, but she was the one who grabbed the knife first. And according to them, she did it on purpose. They said that Catherine knew exactly what she was doing. This was all part of her behavior. She was manipulative. She wanted to push Colin into a rage, knowing that it was going to escalate into a deadly

• 1:12:26Annie Elise?

  fight that would leave her dead and make him look guilty to take the fall. Almost like a twisted reverse Gone Girl, but between a mother and a son. And if you think that that argument would actually work on a jury, well, take a listen.

• 1:12:41Speaker 13

  There are no defects, nor omissions in the verdict. Counsel for the state, counsel for the defendant, rise and hearken to the verdict, Mr. Griffin. Rise and hearken to the verdict.

• 1:12:51Speaker 18

  State of Florida versus Colin Griffin. With the jury, final as follow. As to the defendant in this case, the defendant, as to count one, the defendant is not guilty.

• 1:13:06Speaker 18

  As to come to, the defendant is not guilty. So say will this 5th day of February 2025.

• 1:13:14Annie Elise?

  That's right. The whole suicide by son argument, it worked. The trial ended on February 4th and by February 5th, 2025, the jury found Colin not guilty. Not guilty on all charges.

• 1:13:30Speaker 19

  The jury that found him not guilty today made up of one man. The rest of them were women. Both Griffith's grandmother and aunt were in the courtroom today. And they both were supportive of him, guys. They supported him.

• 1:13:42Annie Elise?

  Now, when this verdict came in, I've got to tell you, people were outraged. When I tell you, I have not seen a single comment or statement from anybody saying that they think the jury got this right. Everybody is in just complete shock and disbelief. And the majority of people, the general consensus, especially that this happened in Florida, is that this feels like it's Casey Anthony all over again. People are dumbfounded, kind of like, what the hell is going on here? What's happening in Florida? How could any jury find him not guilty? And some people are even taking it further predicting, he's probably going to kill his grandmother next. Because he's only 17 years old. 17 years old. Both of his parents are dead.

• 1:14:27Annie Elise?

  I would imagine he now is, yes, going to go live with his grandmother. And what happens when she takes away his Xbox? What happens when she takes away his cell phone? And when he doesn't just run full rain on that house? What's going to happen? In my opinion, this kid is clearly disturbed. He has a lot of issues. You don't have two parents just end up dead coincidentally in a matter of a year and a half. When on earth have we seen something like that happen? Not to mention, people are outraged over the fact that the jury was not made privy to the information about Colin's dad. People are saying, and again, I get it, why it may have needed to be excluded. But people are saying, if the jury knew that it was his dad

• 1:15:09Annie Elise?

  who was killed in quote self-defense a year earlier or a year and a half earlier, that probably would have swayed their decision a lot. And maybe that's the reason that that wasn't brought into the trial. But again, I would imagine anybody who's on the jury, who's now looking back at the full case as a whole with his dad looped into it as well, I would imagine that the majority of them have got to be kicking themselves, being like, Holy shit. What did we just do? What have we done? Did we just let a killer out and give him free rein to kill again? Now Grady Judd, the sheriff in Polk County where this all went down, even released a statement where he expressed his disbelief. It read, "Our detectives firmly believe that Collin Griffith murdered his mother.

• 1:15:55Annie Elise?

  The jury determined that they could not convict him beyond and to the exclusion of all reasonable doubt. During our investigation, detectives found witnesses that believe he also murdered his father in Oklahoma. That investigation is ongoing." So like I said, as soon as we got the verdict in this case, I knew I had to come and talk with you guys about it. My personal opinion, they got it way wrong. They got it way wrong. This kid who has been diagnosed with PTSD, with personality disorder, who self admittedly told a therapist, "There's two versions of me, Colin one and Colin two." This kid who killed his dad in what he calls self-defense, I'd argue probably wasn't,

• 1:16:39Annie Elise?

  but then went on to threaten his mom for months and months and months in between his father's death and his mother's death. Documented threats, documented Baker acts. And the jury thinks he's innocent? That he's not guilty? That they couldn't prove that this wasn't self-defense? He was safely away from his mom. She comes to collect him so that he doesn't violate his probation. And not for nothing, he's a 17-year-old kid. She's within all of her rights to go and pick her son's grimy little ass up from his grandma's house, of course. So because of that, he's pissed. He doesn't have this house to himself anymore. His mom is trying to instill rules on him. So a fight ensues. He does what he knows and what he can do best, what he apparently bragged about on recordings too. He could get away with it.

• 1:17:24Annie Elise?

  He's killed once, he could do it again. And he does that. He kills his mother, he takes a knife, he plunges it into her neck, and he claims self-defense. Again. All my opinion, all my speculation, do your own research, he has been proven not guilty. I don't think they got it right, just like I think the jury did not get Casey Anthony right, just like the jury did not get OJ Simpson right. And anytime this happens, it is just so frustrating because you can't help but wonder, who's their next victim going to be? If they got away with it, clearly at 17 years old, he's got to be feeling pretty dang confident that he's gotten two murders under his belt and gotten away with it. So who's next?

• 1:18:08Annie Elise?

  I would say it's safe to bet the grandma, and I hate saying that, and I really hope I'm wrong, but if he goes and ends up living with her, and if she gives him even the least bit of resistance, you think he's gonna take that lying down? He didn't take it from his dad, he didn't take it from his mom, you think he's gonna take it from little old granny who had the rose colored glasses on and believes he's innocent? No way. Or it's gonna become a situation where she truly is scared of him, and she just lets him do anything he wants, no rules, no curfew, no obligations, nothing. Or, and I'm just kind of spitballing here as things are going, if he ends up becoming the beneficiary now, because his parents are dead, his grandma's will, whatever's included in that,

• 1:18:52Annie Elise?

  does he become such a deadbeat because he clearly doesn't have a lot of drive or self-regulation to where then he kills his grandmother because he wants the inheritance, he wants the money? I mean, there's a million different options on the table here. But I would say in my gut, I don't think that we have heard the last of Collin Griffith. And that is a terrifying thought. So I told you guys at the top of this episode, I'm going to put a poll over on Spotify. I wish Apple had a polling section, they don't though, and YouTube doesn't either, but I will put the poll on Spotify. If you were on the jury, how would you have voted? Would you have voted guilty or not guilty? And why? And you don't need to give me a whole long explanation, I just am curious. Guilty or not guilty, and if you want to give an explanation, please do.

• 1:19:38Annie Elise?

  And since we don't have the polling feature on Apple or YouTube, let me know in the comment section on YouTube, and you can let me know in the review section on Apple. I'm just blown away. As I was watching this trial happen, I had it playing on Court TV every single day here in my studio, and we were following it. I am dumbfounded. I cannot believe that this is where we landed and everybody's in shock. I mean, this is outrageous. And when you see his little smirk in the courtroom when the verdict was read, it's a diabolical teenage kid who just got away with two murders. Two murders, not even at the same time where it was just like, oh, we was found not guilty on both. Two separate times. I mean, at least the investigation is still ongoing into his dad's

• 1:20:22Annie Elise?

  death. So maybe charges will come with that, um, hopefully because yeah, technically he wasn't found not guilty. They just didn't charge him with all that. So like, we'll see what happens with that and maybe he will be held accountable and that will be his karma and the justice for his mother as well. But I guess we ought to just wait and see. So thank you guys for tuning into this episode. It's an infuriating one and I know it's probably going to leave a lot of people just angry and upset, but this is one of those cases where it really does, you try to make sense of how somebody could come up with this. And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to jury shame. I believe in our justice system, but like, sometimes they don't get it right. Sometimes they just do not get it right. And I do not think that they got it right here. And I just hope that his grandmother

• 1:21:07Annie Elise?

  stays safe over the course of the rest of her life, but we'll see. All right, guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. I will be back on the mic with you on Thursday with everything breaking this week in the true crime world. Our episode headline highlights comes out on Thursdays. It goes out on YouTube on Fridays. So I will see you back for that. Oh, and as a side note, I did see a lot of your feedback regarding wanting me to talk more about Justin and Baldoni and Blake Lively, although I did get some feedback from the YouTube community too, that they want me to stay more with like the true crime focus. So I tried to meet in the middle. My sister and I, if you guys have know Amy, she's been on here before. She's a true crime enthusiast

• 1:21:47Annie Elise?

  like myself. We did a live stream together where we talked all about the Justin and Blake saga, everything that's going on, our opinions. I didn't really have anything prepared. So the live stream did get a little bit wild, but we, it was cool because we had the live chat feature going. So many of you guys were chiming in with your thoughts, with what your opinions are. And we just talked. Through the whole thing together. So we did do that live stream. It's available over on Patreon. You can also see the live chat once you get access to it. So I will link that in the show notes or you can go to patreon.com/annieleese. You can check out the live stream there. I also have uploaded the audio version of that live stream here on Apple under the subscription tier in case, you know, you want that extra bonus content. All right, guys, thank you so much for tuning in.

• 1:22:30Annie Elise?

  And until the next one, please be nice, don't kill people, watch your back and just stay safe. Okay, bye.

• 1:22:52Speaker 01

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