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Griffith, identified in the proceeding as McGriff, faces charges including 13 counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and various additional counts such as robbery and arson related to the September 8 slaying of an elderly couple. A body camera statement from the defendant is introduced, in which he says, "I'll admit it. I killed them. I burnt those Don't matter to me, though. I admit to doing it." Prosecutors present surveillance footage appearing to show Frank in his final moments, desperately attempting to deter McGriff from entering his home after McGriff claimed he was lost and needed help charging his phone.
The narrative provided by prosecutors indicates that Griffith/McGriff chose one door at first, and that door’s occupant shut it in response. Prosecutors describe a five-hour period during which McGriff terrorized the elderly couple. During that time, he tied up Mister Olton in the basement and stabbed him. He attempted to have money transferred into his own account, but the bank denied the request.
Additionally, the defendant allegedly attempted to set Frank Holden on fire to conceal evidence of the crime, though the arson attempt did not succeed in spreading. McGriff then tied Maureen Holden to a chair upstairs in the living room, and prosecutors assert that he stranded her to death in that location. The narrative continues with the claim that Griffith/McGriff set the living room on fire before escaping with the couple’s phones and credit cards, which he used to embark on a shopping spree.
Police later located the defendant three days after the incident, in Times Square. The sequence presented by prosecutors paints a picture of sustained terror over the five-hour window, including kidnapping, stabbing, arson attempts intended to mask the crime, and the desecration of the couple’s home and belongings before the burglary of their financial resources. The case ties these actions together with the charges of murder, robbery, and arson, detailing the escalation from initial contact at the door to the violent confrontation inside the home, the violent acts against Mr. Olton and Mrs. Holden, and the subsequent attempt to conceal and benefit financially from the crime.