In the quiet town of LaPlace, Louisiana, 46-year-old Samantha Griffin, a single-leg amputee described by neighbors as a wonderfully caring woman, was tragically killed in her apartment on September 16, 2016. The gruesome discovery was made by St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office deputies who responded to a call around 9 p.m. at her residence in the 300 block of East Airline Highway.
Griffin was found with a severe gunshot wound to her arm and was pronounced dead at the scene due to extreme blood loss.
The investigation swiftly pointed to her neighbor, 28-year-old Royce Burse. Eyewitnesses reported seeing Burse approaching Griffin's apartment with a Norinco SKS assault rifle just moments before the fatal shot was fired. Investigators believe the motive for the killing was robbery, as Griffin was known to collect rent checks for the apartment complex where they both resided. A neighbor noted that Burse was struggling financially, often asking for food and money.
A day after the shooting, Burse was initially arrested on unrelated drug and parole violation charges. During the subsequent investigation into Griffin's death, detectives discovered the weapon and ammunition used in the homicide. Burse was then booked with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In February 2019, a St. John the Baptist Parish jury took less than 20 minutes to find Royce Burse guilty of the second-degree murder of Samantha Griffin. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of probation or parole, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the brutal killing of his neighbor.
