In the autumn of 2014, a gathering in Newport News, Virginia, took a tragic turn, ending the life of 30-year-old Thunder Cloud Sundeen. On the evening of October 13th, Sundeen was visiting the Winston Avenue home of Jason Christopher Griffin and a female companion. The three had been drinking together before the couple retired to bed, leaving Sundeen in another part of the house.
Shortly before 9 p.m., the quiet of the evening was shattered by the sound of gunfire.
Griffin and his companion initially claimed to have been awakened by what they thought was a knock at the door, followed by the gunshot. They told authorities they discovered Sundeen wounded on the floor and saw another man fleeing the scene. Paramedics rushed Sundeen to a local hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead just before 10:30 p.m.
As the Newport News Police Department delved into the investigation, the initial account provided by Griffin and his companion began to unravel. Investigators determined that at some point during the evening, Griffin had brandished a firearm and shot Sundeen. The story of an unknown intruder was a fabrication.
The investigation quickly led to Jason Christopher Griffin, then 36 years old, as the primary suspect. The Newport News Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Unit, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals' Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, located and apprehended Griffin. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
