Did plot lurk under surface?newsok.com
By Ken Raymond
Fri April 18, 2008
Kenneth John Griffin, 48, wasn't the perfect family man he appeared to be in photos.
In fact, if police allegations are true, the former Oklahoma City police officer was neck-deep in a murder-for-hire plot when he committed suicide in jail Thursday.
The Oklahoman was told that:
•Griffin, who had fallen for another woman, was plotting to have his wife, Maya Griffin, killed in order to collect life insurance benefits.
•He repeatedly tried to hire a killer before he was arrested Wednesday afternoon.
•On Thursday, he phoned his wife from jail to say he'd been set up, then hung himself in his cell.
That narrative - a story of betrayal and tragedy - is at odds with the images posted on his wife's MySpace page. In those, he smiles at the camera during family trips to Colorado and Mexico, his arm around his wife.
In those, he looks happy and fortunate, and there is nothing to hint at murder.
His arrest and death
About 5:25 p.m. Wednesday, police pulled Griffin over in the 2400 block of SW 15. Investigators feared for his wife's life, and he was jailed without bail.
About 1:30 p.m. Thursday, a detention officer saw Griffin alive and well, said Capt. Kelly Marshall, Oklahoma County sheriff's spokeswoman.
"About 2 o'clock, he was found hanging," Marshall said.
"Attempts were made to revive him by our detention staff. Shortly thereafter, rescue and EMSA arrived and revived him, but he was declared dead."
Oklahoma City police and the FBI, which was involved in the investigation, provided few details on the case, referring all questions to the Oklahoma County district attorney's office. Prosecutors declined comment because the case is under seal.
District Attorney David Prater said now that Griffin is dead, he plans to meet with detectives to determine whether there is any reason for the court file to remain sealed.
Contributing: Staff Writer Augie Frost
Griffin was trying to have his wife killed for over 6 months because he fell in love with another woman in South America. He wanted to cash in on the insurance and then move to be with the other woman.
ReplyDeleteSuicide is always sad - no matter what, but I just have to throw my hands in the air and thank God that his wife is physically okay. I have talked to women who were meant to be killed in a hit and it's pretty traumatic to realize that someone you know can really plan that. It makes the whole world seem to tilt.
ReplyDeleteShe's in my prayers... and the kids too. This is awful for their whole family.
Hard to rationalize and accept when you know the person.
Ken Griffin was a good friend of mine. I don't know what really drove him to do what he did, but I do know that he had a brain aneurism which could have impaired his judgement.
ReplyDeleteI have had officers say there is no honorable way to live after being shamed away from the police force, and on more than one occasion I have pled with officers to hear me say that there is life after a fall.
ReplyDeletePeople close to him would know of course better than I do - but I have an overview, a different perspective. I have a whole FOLDER of computer files that are ALL officers who killed themselves after coming under investigation.
Prison?
Losing the respect?
Being what you have spent your life fighting against?
Despised?
Sometimes the fall is too long.
One officer told me that no one or group of people, no laws or policies, no services or counselors, will ever get rid of police suicide. It's just always going to be some officer's choice of how to settle the matter at hand.
Hopefully there are ways to lessen it. A recent article said that every 19 to 20 hours another officer takes his own life.
None of the articles that I've seen that deal with officer suicide mention how many of those officers take others with them.
My apologies to his family for speaking about this in general terms.
Compassion? The only compassion I have is for Maya and the kids. I've known them for years and Ken always had a mean streak in him. This isn't the first humiliation his wife has had to suffer because of him. She held her head up high and Vowed to live her life for God. I'm sure she's happy in her service to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to read this about an officer, I just lost my brother in a Federal Detention Center in OK city, Ok and it sad to say that having worked as an officer within the correctional division that so many lifes have been taken and it appears that the system does nothing about preventing a hanging from occuring within the system. A bed sheet is provided which is a weapon to all persons incarcerated with the system...The time frame that all staff abides by a 30 minute watch and etc....does not cut it....it only takes about one minute or 2 at the most for someone to die....What is the system doing? IT APPEARS NOTHING....He stilled served his community at one time or the other....What is sad about my bothers death is that his in housing belongings with his shit in his shorts, along with the bed sheet with the knots were sent to me by the system as his so called belongings.... all i can say is we are all human...no matter what....
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry they sent that to you. I can't believe that. You oughta sue 'em for pain and suffering so that they are kinder to others in the future. That was way past insensitive.
ReplyDeleteSorry you lost your brother too.