A woman whose son has been charged with her murder sent some chilling final texts before she was killed.
US woman Catherine Griffith, 39, died following a stabbing in her mother's home on 8 September last year, with her son Collin calling the police to say they'd had an argument and she had 'fallen onto a knife'.
The 17-year-old Collin was arrested by police, with a medical examiner ruling that her injuries could not have been caused by falling onto a knife, and he has issued a plea of not guilty to the charges of first degree murder and kidnapping.
The teenager had previously been accused of killing his father Charles, 43, on Valentine's Day in 2023 and said it had been an act of self-defence. The charges against him were eventually dropped.
His mother had paid a $50,000 bail to get him out of jail, and several months before she died, bodycam footage appeared to show Collin making a threat against his mother.
Advert
"I'm in a constant state of fight or flight and I don't know. If I think she's going to do something, even if she's not, I might act," he said in the bodycam footage on 14 November 2023.
"I'm not going to like, go crazy or anything, but I'm not sure honestly."
When asked to clarify whether he'd hurt his mother he said: "Only if she tries to hurt me."
Before she died, she was texting with a neighbour, writing: "Please do not let Collin or 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.
Advert
"Please don't come down and try to come in because they will follow you in if you unlock my door. I'm fine and safe. Collin just hates me and I'm tired of this crap."
On 8 September 2024, Catherine had travelled to her mother's house attempting to get Collin back home and was fatally stabbed.
On the day she died, she wrote another text message saying that Collin needed to return home and stop violating his probation, which was less than a month away from coming to an end.
She wrote: "If Collin texts you again please tell him he needs to come home. He's violating his probation which he was supposed to be off of October 6, 2024 but now he never will be because I'm meeting his probation officer Monday morning if he doesn't come home today by 10am.
Advert
"He knows the time deadline and he's choosing to skip it and hide at my mom's house in Polk County which is also a violation."
One final text from Catherine said that she was going to drive over and try and get her son to come with her, she made the journey over to her mother's house but later that day Collin called the police to say his mother was dead.
Joe Harker