BELLEROSE, Queens (WABC): A Bronx man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he forced his way into a Queens home last month, killed the elderly couple who lived there, set fire to the house and then went on a shopping spree with the victims’ credit cards.
James McGriff, 42, is charged in a 50-count indictment with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, burglary and other offenses in connection with the September 8 home invasion in Bellerose.
Officials allege he forced his way into the home of Frank and Maureen Olton, 76 and 77 years old, set their home on fire after torturing them, and then went on a shopping spree with their credit cards.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
“According to the charges, on a Monday morning in a quiet neighborhood, the defendant forced his way into the home of Frank and Maureen Olton, made multiple attempts to transfer money from their bank account, murdered them and set the house ablaze before fleeing with their phones and credit cards. He used the credit cards before the NYPD finally caught up with him,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Investigators say McGriff was walking around the couple’s neighborhood in Bellerose knocking on doors and asking to charge his phone last month.
He allegedly pushed his way into the couple’s home before officials say he set them on fire after spending five hours inside the house. He was eventually arrested in Times Square on Sept. 10.
Katz described the details as one of the most gruesome she has soon.
“During that time period, he tied up Mr. Olton in the basement, he stabbed him, he tried to get money transferred into his own account, that was denied by the bank, he clearly took the credit cards because he went from the Oltons to Macy’s and used Mr. Olton’s credit cards, not only for clothing, but also for the movies the next day,” Katz said. “So there’s a lot of evidence that shows he was trying to utilize that time to get access to financial means.”
Katz said McGriff tried to set Frank Olton on fire to conceal evidence but that fire failed to catch. She said he tied up Maureen Olton upstairs and strangled her to death.
McGriff, described by police as a career criminal, is a level 3 sex offender with a lengthy criminal record stretching 30 years. He was released from prison in 2023.
He served 16 years in prison for an armed robbery and is wanted in two more armed robberies this summer.
The Legal Aid Society, which is defending McGriff, put out a statement urging the public not to draw any conclusions until all the facts in the case are known.
McGriff was remanded into custody and ordered to return to court November 12.
