Wahneta, Florida · 2000s
Murder of Ryan Skipper
Ryan Skipper, a 25-year-old man from Polk County, Florida, was beaten and stabbed to death on 14 March 2007 in a killing authorities declared a hate crime; two men were later convicted.
What happened
The Collin Griffith cases concern the deaths of both parents of the same teenager in separate states. On February 14, 2023, 43-year-old Charles Griffith was fatally shot at his home in Lincoln County, Oklahoma. His 15-year-old son, Collin Griffith, acknowledged firing the shot and said he acted in self-defense. Oklahoma investigators examined forensic and digital evidence. A prosecutor later told ABC News that no formal charge was filed because the state could not rule out self-defense.
After the Oklahoma case, Collin moved to Florida to live with his mother, Catherine Griffith. On September 8, 2024, Catherine, 39, went to a relative's home near Auburndale in Polk County, where Collin was staying. She suffered a fatal stab wound to the neck inside the house. Collin called 911 and initially said she had fallen on a knife during a prolonged fight. Polk County authorities arrested him and prosecutors charged him as an adult with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The Florida case went to trial in early 2025. Prosecutors argued that Collin intentionally killed Catherine, while the defense argued that she had threatened him with the knife and that he acted in self-defense. The jury heard limited evidence that Collin had previously shot someone in self-defense but, under the trial judge's ruling, was not told that the person was his father.
On February 5, 2025, after more than eleven hours of deliberation, the Florida jury found Collin not guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping. Newsweek and Court TV both reported the acquittal. The earlier Oklahoma decision likewise did not establish criminal responsibility for Charles's death.
WESH reported after the Florida verdict that Polk County investigators still believed their case and that the Oklahoma investigation could be revisited, but those statements do not overcome the acquittal or establish guilt. The coordinates are Wikidata's general coordinates for Auburndale, the city associated with Catherine's death; they do not represent the private home, and the location field cannot simultaneously map the separate Oklahoma scene. The slug's 2023 year refers to Charles's death, while Catherine died in 2024.
