On Valentine’s Day 2023, Charles Robert Griffith, a 41-year-old man, was shot and killed at his rural residence in Stroud, Oklahoma. The property, located at 354860 E. 900 Road in Lincoln County, became the scene of a complex investigation after a 911 call was placed by the victim's own son.
That afternoon, Lincoln County dispatch received a call from 15-year-old Collin Griffith, who reported that he had just shot his father.
The teenager told authorities that he and his father had gotten into an argument, and that Charles Griffith, allegedly armed with a knife, had chased him through the house and cornered him in a bedroom. Collin claimed he had to shoot his father to protect himself. There were no other witnesses to the incident.
When deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and agents from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation arrived, they found Charles Griffith deceased from two gunshot wounds, one to the chest and one to the head. As investigators processed the scene, they noted that some physical evidence was inconsistent with the story Collin had provided. Based on their findings, an OSBI agent filed a probable cause affidavit suggesting a belief that the teenager had committed first-degree murder, and Collin was arrested.
Collin’s mother, Catherine Griffith, secured his release on a $50,000 bond, which required him to wear an ankle monitor. Less than a month after the shooting, in March 2023, the murder charge against Collin Griffith was dropped. The District Attorney’s office stated that prosecutors could not find sufficient evidence to disprove the teenager’s claim of self-defense.
About a year and a half later, in September 2024, Collin Griffith was arrested in Polk County, Florida, and charged with the murder of his mother, Catherine. Following this development, law enforcement officials in Florida noted that the investigation into Charles Griffith's death in Oklahoma remains ongoing. As of February 2025, the case is still considered unsolved.
