Queens, NY – Jamel McGriff, the suspect charged in the September 8th deaths of Frank and Maureen Olton, a 76 and 77-year-old couple in Queens, also attempted to steal over $10,000 from their bank accounts and went on an $800 shopping spree at Macy’s following the murders, prosecutors revealed Tuesday.McGriff, a serial robbery suspect on parole, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, and arson.
The case highlights the vulnerability of elderly residents and the potential for escalating violence during home invasions. according to the Queens District Attorney’s office, McGriff had been posing as someone needing to charge a cellphone, gaining access to homes before forcibly entering the Oltons’ residence where he remained for nearly five hours.
Prosecutors detailed in court that McGriff unsuccessfully attempted to transfer funds from the couple’s accounts to his own. After the killings, he used their credit cards to purchase clothes at a Macy’s in Manhattan. Frank Olton was found tied to a pole in the basement with stab wounds to his neck and chest, while Maureen Olton’s body was discovered in the living room, severely burned. Authorities believe she was tied to a chair and strangled.
McGriff allegedly set the house ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence. He was apprehended the day after the murders while attending a movie in Times Square. A convicted felon who previously served 16 years in prison,McGriff is being held without bail and faces a potential sentance of life in prison without parole.The Legal Aid Society, representing McGriff, stated they are investigating and urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions before all facts are known.