A 42-year-old man was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with the killing and burning of an elderly couple in their Queens home, police said, after surveillance footage showed one of the victims shouting at the stranger who entered the property.
Authorities identified the detained suspect as Jamel McGriff and the victims as Frank Olton, 76, and his wife Maureen Olton, 77. New video released by police and obtained by media outlets shows Frank Olton standing outside his home before the encounter and then, several minutes later, a male voice — believed to be his — shouting "get the f*** out of here!" as the suspect forced his way into the house, officials said.
Police said McGriff was welcomed into the Oltons' backyard after asking to charge his phone and then went inside the home. Once inside, investigators allege, he bound both victims, stabbed them and set the residence on fire. Frank Olton was later found tied with a bungee cord and wire to a pole in the basement and suffering from multiple stab wounds. Maureen Olton was discovered on the first floor with severe burns, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Tisch said the suspect initially fled the scene and was arrested in Times Square after investigators traced alleged purchases made with the victims' credit cards. She said McGriff was seen using the cards at a Macy's and at a Regal Cinema and had pawned two cell phones in the Bronx prior to his arrest. "He was spotted in Midtown Manhattan by eagle-eyed cops who didn’t hesitate before jumping into action," Tisch wrote on X, thanking detectives and officers for their work.
Surveillance footage released by authorities showed McGriff approaching the Olton home around 10:15 a.m., interacting with Frank Olton at the backdoor and later leaving the residence with two bags in his hands, police said. Witnesses told local media the suspect fled the neighborhood about 3:10 p.m., before any visible sign of fire. The couple's son, a New York City Fire Department paramedic, rushed to the house after receiving an alarm notification, police said.
Councilwoman Linda Lee told reporters that electronic doorbell cameras recorded the suspect approaching several homes in the block before he entered the Oltons' residence. Police also said McGriff was identified by his parole officer after investigators reviewed surveillance images from the scene.
McGriff was out on parole following his 2023 release after serving 16 years of a 20-year sentence for a 2006 first-degree robbery, officials said. Police said he is the main suspect in two robberies that occurred in the city in July and August of this year.
The Oltons' nephew, Sean Kelly, told The New York Times the couple were "amazing people" who "did not deserve this." Authorities did not disclose a motive and said they have found no known prior connection between the victims and the suspect.
Investigators have said the case remains under active review as they continue to process evidence, interview witnesses and prepare charging documents. Local officials and family members have expressed shock at the violence in the Queens neighborhood while police urged anyone with additional information to come forward.