New York robbery-murder suspect went door-to-door asking for help
NEW YORK—The police in New York City warned residents about the tactic used by a robbery-murder suspect who went door-to-door seeking help to gain entry into prospective victims’ homes.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made the warning after a couple in their 70s was killed on Monday in what she said was a “horrific double homicide, robbery and arson”—the man was tied to a pole and stabbed, the woman’s body was severely burned as their home went up in flames.
Tisch said the suspect identified as Jamel McGriff was seen on Monday morning going door-to-door in Queen’s borough asking if he could come in and charge his cell phone.
After one homeowner rebuffed him, Tisch said, CCTV video showed McGriff approaching the Oltons’ home around 10:18 a.m. and talking with Frank Olton. He was allowed into the couple’s backyard and eventually entered the home with Olton through a rear door.
Fire intentionally set
Olton, 76, and his wife Maureen, 77, were later found dead at about 3:30 p.m., about 20 minutes after McGriff was again seen on surveillance video leaving the house, which had then caught fire.
The suspect was carrying a paper bag and a duffel bag and wore a black hat, black jacket, black sneakers and dark blue jeans, she said.
After getting the fire under control, firefighters entered the home and found Frank Olton’s body in the basement, tied to a pole with multiple stab wounds, and Maureen Olton’s body on the first floor with severe burns, Tisch said.
A fire marshal ruled that the fire was intentionally set.
“For the public, the message is clear: the suspect’s MO is to go door-to-door asking for some kind of assistance until he can gain entrance, so do not allow someone you don’t know or someone you’re not expecting into your home,” Tisch said.
McGriff has a “lengthy, violent” criminal history spanning several decades and is on parole after serving 16 years in prison for a conviction in a 2006 robbery, Tisch said.
He is also wanted by police for two recent robberies—one at a Harlem GameStop store in July and another at a Manhattan Verizon store where the clerk noticed he had a fake gun and fought him off, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
McGriff also failed last year to register as a sex offender, Tisch said, which should have violated his parole. The NYPD and a regional fugitive task force that combines local, state and federal officers are working to apprehend McGriff, the commissioner said.
