Teen Said 'I'm Not a Psychopath.' Months Later, Police Say He Stabbed His Mother to Death

Mar. 15, 2025

Collin Griffith.Photo:Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Polk County Sheriff’s Office

A Florida teen who police claim previously killed hisfather in self-defense is accused of murdering his motherafter allegedly telling her, “I’m not a psychopath.”

Police claim in the affidavit that Collin called 911 for help, saying that he and his mother had gotten into a fight and that she had fallen on a knife. Catherine was later pronounced dead.

Police say that Collin came to live with his mother in Florida following the shooting death of his father in 2023. The affidavit states that Collin was initially arrested in connection with his father’s death, but that evidence emerged that led investigators to believe it was self-defense and he was never convicted of a crime in connection.

In the affidavit, police allege that there had been a history of heated fights between Collin and Catherine and that he had previously been charged with domestic battery against his mother months before her death.

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“I was saying, ‘Mom, I’m not a psychopath. I’m not this murderer. I’m just trying to peacefully leave or peacefully coexist,’” he reportedly told his grandmother. “She kept telling me to shut up and shut up, and when I wouldn’t shut up, she hit me.”

The probable cause affidavit states that a year before his mother’s death, Collin allegedly told a police officer that he did not want to return home, saying he did not feel safe and that he would “kill myself or my mom.”

source: people.com