The Bronx man accused of murdering an elderly Bellerose couple did a lot of talking as he was escorted out of the 107th Precinct by homicide detectives on Thursday afternoon to make his first court appearance in Queens Criminal Court hours later.
During his arraignment on Sept. 11, Jamel McGriff, 42, who stayed at a homeless shelter on Creston Avenue, kept his mouth shut as he was criminally charged with 12 counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, robbery, burglary, arson, and other related crimes for the deaths of a husband and wife inside their home on Sept. 8.
McGriff allegedly restrained 76-year-old Frank Olton in the house’s basement and stabbed him to death before setting his home on fire. McGriff also allegedly attacked and killed 77-year-old Maureen Olton before exiting the home, setting off a citywide manhunt by the NYPD.
“As alleged, in a brazen act of violence, the defendant forced himself into a Bellerose home, stabbed one of the elderly homeowners to death, and then deliberately set the house on fire,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “This is a horrific double murder that has shocked our entire city.”
According to the charges and investigation, on Sept. 8 at approximately 10:08 a.m., McGriff entered the Oltons’ residence at 87-86 254th St. He was allegedly seen at approximately 3:08 p.m. leaving the residence and carrying a duffel bag. A few minutes later, the Oltons’ son, an FDNY paramedic, received a notification from an alarm company that there was a fire at the residence. When the FDNY responded to the location, the Oltons were found dead inside the home. Maureen Olton was found in the living room with extensive burns to her body. She also sustained a fractured larynx and had soot in her trachea and one lung. Frank Olton was discovered in the cellar with his hands bound with a cord and tied to a pole. He was stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest, which caused his death. A fire had been set in the living room, and a separate one was set in the basement.
Beginning at approximately 5:54 p.m. on Monday, McGriff allegedly used two of Frank Olton’s credit cards to make two clothing purchases totaling $796.10 at Macy’s in Herald Square in Manhattan. McGriff allegedly provided his own Macy’s loyalty card number for the transactions.
On Tuesday, from approximately 7:44 a.m. to 7:52 a.m., McGriff allegedly deposited two cell phones belonging to the Oltons into a machine at a store on Fordham Road in the Bronx. The machine provides instant cash for phones. He allegedly used his own identification for the transaction.
McGriff was apprehended by the NYPD on Wednesday evening in Manhattan. Police sources say cops were able to track his movement using a department app known as the domain awareness system after it pinged that he had used the victims’ credit cards. He was arrested in Times Square around 5:40 p.m. on 44th Street and 7th Avenue.
During his interrogation at the 107th Precinct, McGriff told a homicide detective from the 105th Precinct in Queens Village that he had killed the Oltons, according to the criminal complaint.
“I’ll admit it. I killed them. I don’t give a f**k. I killed them. I burnt the niggas. I molested them.”
Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar remanded McGriff into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on Sept. 16. If convicted, McGriff faces up to life in prison.
“Frank and Maureen Olton were simply spending a Monday morning at home, and their deaths shattered the sense of safety and security in New York,” Katz said. “The defendant is now charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and faces life in prison if convicted. I thank the NYPD and the members of my office for their work in apprehending this defendant.”
