POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A 17-year-old arrested for allegedly murdering his mother in Polk County has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the teenager allegedly murdered his mother, Catherine Griffith, 39, of Port Charlotte, on September 8.
In a press conference shortly after the killing, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said nearby witnesses saw the teen and his mother fighting outside his grandmother’s house in Auburndale, followed by the teen dragging his mother into the home by her hair around 4:30 p.m.
The witnesses said they heard the mother repeatedly say, “Let me go.” The teen’s grandmother was not home when the incident took place.
Around two hours later, PCSO received a 911 call from the teen who said that he and his mother had a long fight and she fell on a knife and was bleeding from the neck, Sheriff Judd said. The teen was …