Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jamel McGriff was arraigned on 12 counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, robbery, burglary, arson and other crimes for the deaths of a husband and wife in their Bellerose home on Monday. McGriff allegedly restrained 76-year-old Frank Olton in the home’s basement and stabbed him to death before setting the house on fire. The defendant also allegedly attacked and killed 77-year Maureen Olton before exiting the home.

District Attorney Katz said: “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. This is a horrific double murder that has shocked our entire city. Frank and Maureen Olton were simply spending a Monday morning at home and their deaths have shattered the sense of safety and security in New York. 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.”

McGriff, 42, of Creston Avenue in the Bronx, was arraigned last night on 12 counts of murder in the first degree; two counts of murder in the second degree; two counts of kidnapping in the first degree; two counts of kidnapping in the second degree; three counts of burglary in the first degree; burglary in the second degree; two counts of arson in the second degree; three counts of robbery in the first degree; criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree; two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree; two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree; identity theft in the second degree; and two counts of identity theft in the third degree.

Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar remanded McGriff and ordered him to return to court on September 16. If convicted, McGriff faces up to life in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Katz said that, according to the charges and investigation, on September 8, 2025, at approximately 10:08 a.m., McGriff entered the Oltons’ residence on 254^th Street in Bellerose.

McGriff was allegedly seen at approximately 3:08 p.m. leaving the residence and carrying a duffle bag. A few minutes later, the Oltons’ son received a notification from an alarm company that there was a fire at the residence.

When the FDNY responded, the Oltons were found deceased inside the home. Maureen Olton was 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 basement 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 in the basement.

Beginning at approximately 5:54 p.m. 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 Wednesday evening in Manhattan.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Raul Torres of the 105^th precinct and Detective Thomas Cappolla of the Queens South Homicide Squad.

Senior Assistant District Attorney John Esposito of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Caitlyn Muldoon under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, Karen Ross and Jonathan Selkowe, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.