A mother whose son is accused of brutally stabbing her to death during an argument shared disturbing posts on Instagram in the days leading up to his murder.
Catherine Griffith, 39, was found stabbed in the neck at a home in Auburndale, Florida, on Sunday night.
Her son Collin Griffith, 17, told police she “fell” on the gun, but has since been charged with her murder.
His death came a year after he rescued the teenager from fatally shooting his father in what he said was an act of self-defense.
And while the late mother’s posts appear to reference her family crisis, in one heartbreaking post she vows to “live life to the fullest.”
Catherine Griffith, 39, shared disturbing posts online in the days leading up to her murder, allegedly at the hands of her son Collin (pictured together).
“This past year has been a whirlwind of events and memories,” she wrote last week, the day after her birthday.
‘I’m grateful 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 haven’t been my best self.
‘Thank you to everyone who has helped me see that life is an adventure worth living and fighting for every day. Life lessons are just that: lessons.
‘I learned some of the hardest lessons when I was 30, but I promise that when I turn 39 I will live life to the fullest.’
Another cryptic post made just days before her murder features lyrics from Taylor Swift’s song, ‘It’s Time to Go.’
“That all too familiar body ache, the snaps of the same little cracks in your soul. You know when it’s time to go… Sometimes giving up is the strongest thing,” she posted alongside a panoramic image of a boardwalk.
Other posts appear to show the mother and son as the perfect family, enjoying cruise vacations and trips to Disney and Universal Studios.
While in May, he gifted the teen a brand new 2024 VW Jetta for $26,000 as an early graduation gift.
The mother appeared to allude to her traumatic past, but expressed her desire to continue living life “to the fullest.”
Griffith, 17, is accused of fatally stabbing his mother in the neck after an argument.
His disturbing latest posts indicate that he may have been struggling
“I love you and I’m so proud of you!” she gushed as he posed on the hood.
Witnesses reported seeing Griffith dragging his mother out of the house by her hair two hours earlier and a medical examiner found she had been stabbed twice in the neck.
A year ago, Catherine paid $50,000 to bail her son out of jail after he shot and killed her father.
The charges were dropped after he argued he killed his father in self-defense.
“When you look at this, you see a child. When I look at him, I see a psychopath,” said Sheriff Grady Judd.
‘Everyone in his life who should be special to him is dead when they come across him.
‘He, already at 17 years old, shot and killed his father and walked away unscathed, and stabbed his mother in the neck so hard that the knife went completely through her.
‘He’s now killed two people, and he’s murdered his mother and his father, and I can assure you that based on his conduct, if he had gone to live with his grandmother at the end of this, and she had betrayed him, she would be next.’
The incident occurred a year after his mother rescued him from fatally shooting his father, an act he successfully claimed was self-defense.
Neighbors said they saw Griffith dragging his mother by her hair into his grandmother’s home in Auburndale, Florida.
Griffith claimed his 43-year-old father, Charles Griffith, had pulled a knife on him before chasing and cornering him at the remote Lincoln County, Oklahoma, farm on Valentine’s Day 2023.
But prosecutors “failed to disprove Colin’s claim of self-defense” and he was released after his mother posted bail.
Six months later, he was back in custody under Florida’s Baker Act after threatening to kill himself and stab or shoot his mother.
In November of last year he was arrested on domestic violence charges after kicking his mother to the ground when she tried to restrict his video game use.
She again tried to claim self-defense, but her grandmother had seen the attack and corroborated Catherine’s story.
A no-violent contact order was made against his mother, allowing him to continue living with her but prohibiting any violent contact.
In February 2024, she ran away from her mother’s home in Charlotte County and went to live with her grandmother.
He told officers he would “kill my mother” rather than be reunited with her, but was turned over to the Florida Department of Children and Families, which returned him to his home in Charlotte County a year after his father’s death.
Earlier this week, police released a series of chilling text messages Catherine sent hours before her death pleading for help from a neighbor.
The doting mother’s Instagram painted a picture of a perfect life, but hinted at past trauma.
Griffith was a recent graduate of The Academy, an alternative high school located in Port Charlotte.
On the day of his death he told the neighbor: “I will meet with your parole officer on Monday morning if you are not home by ten o’clock today. He knows the time and the deadline.”
“He decided to skip the appointment and hide out at my mother’s house in Polk County, which also constitutes rape.”
In her final text she wrote: ‘He won’t listen. I’m going to drive around to get him and if he doesn’t get in the car then Polk County can take care of him.’
Griffith’s grandmother was not home when her mother arrived at 4 p.m. Sunday and the couple began arguing.
At 6:30 p.m., police were on the way after Griffith called to say his mother had hurt herself and showed “no remorse” when officers arrived.
“He looked the deputy in the eye and said, ‘I know my rights, I want a lawyer,'” Judd told reporters.
‘He stated that during this argument, his mother lunged at him with a knife and fell on top of him, causing a deep stab wound to his neck.
“The medical examiner said it’s not reasonable or plausible that she died the way he says she did. It just didn’t happen.”
Griffith was a recent graduate of The Academy, an alternative high school located in Port Charlotte.
Her mother’s post indicates that she graduated early and planned to attend college.
