A 17-year-old accused of murdering his mother allegedly tried to tell her he’s ‘not a psychopath’ and ‘not this murderer’.

Collin Griffith went to live with his mom Catherine Griffith in Florida in early 2024 following the fatal shooting of his father in February 2023.

The teenager was initially arrested in connection with his father’s passing but it was believed he acted in self-defense and so Griffith was never convicted of any crime.

Collin Griffith pictured with his mom Catherine (@cathygriffith1985/Instagram)

On September 8, 2024, Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the teenager who reported his mom had ‘fallen’ on a knife and was bleeding from the neck.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement: “The next morning at the medical examiner’s office, after the autopsy, the medical examiner said it is not reasonable or possible that she died the way that he said she did, just didn’t happen.”

Months before his mom’s passing, Griffith is reported by PEOPLE as having been charged with domestic battery.

FOX 4 Now has since released footage from body cameras worn by various members of authority. Take a look below:

One clip reported as being from an arrest in November 2023 sees Griffith’s grandmother speaking to someone in the back of a police vehicle – allegedly Griffith.

The video sees a voice say: “I was saying, ‘Mom, I’m not a psychopath. I’m not this murderer. I’m just trying to peacefully leave or peacefully coexist. We’ll just figure something out. She kept telling me to shut up and shut up, and when I wouldn’t shut up, she hit me.”

However, his grandmother contradicts his recollection of events, responding: “No, that’s not what happened. You never said you wanted to peacefully coexist.”

Body camera footage shows a conversation between Collin Griffith and his grandmother (FOX 4 Now)

Another part of the body camera footage shows Griffith’s grandmother explaining he asked to go into ‘foster care’ rather than returning to his mother’s home the day before his release.

In another video Griffith can be heard telling authorities: “I’m in a constant state of fight or flight. I don’t know, If I think she’s going to do something, even if she’s not, I might act. I’m not going to go crazy or anything but I’m not sure.”

When asked if he wasn’t sure if he’d hurt his mom, Griffith added: “Only if she tries to hurt me.”

Several body camera clips have been released (FOX 4 Now)

The probable cause affidavit also claims Griffith allegedly told police if he was returned back to his mom’s, he would ‘kill [himself] or [his] mom.”

Grifftith has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder. He remains in custody at the Polk County Jail.

State attorney for the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Brian Hass, revealed Griffith is set to be tried as an adult ‘based upon the egregious facts and circumstances of this case’.

Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

After the remains of three-year-old Elijah Vue were found by a hunter on his property, the mystery remains as to what happened to cause his death.

On September 13 police revealed that skeletal remains found in Two Rivers positively matched the DNA of the little boy who was reported missing in February this year.

But it’s unclear as to how he ended up there.

Initially, Elijah was reported missing on February 20 by his mother’s boyfriend, Jesse Vang, who claimed that the toddler disappeared after the two took a nap in his room.

However, as per the criminal complaint obtained by People, Elijah’s mom had allegedly been leaving the tot at Vang’s home to ‘teach’ him ‘by example how to be a man’.

Elijah Vue went missing in February (Two Rivers Police Department)

Earlier this year, when Elijah had only been missing for a few weeks, Vang, 39, appeared in court following a charge of chronic child neglect.

According to detectives, who first responded to the Two Rivers property Vang lived in after the toddler had been reported missing, Vang did not allow toys to be played with.

Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office Detective Michael Herrmann told the court: “There was one toy in the residence which was given to the child at Christmas time.

“However, during this stay, because it was a punishment, he was not allowed to play with that toy.”

At the time, Elijah had been staying with Vang for eight days, having been dropped off by his mom, Katrina Baur, 31 to ‘learn to be a man’.

Vang allegedly explained the tactics he used on Elijah to teach him the ropes, which included making him stand for hours at a time while he prayed or apologized to his mother for his behavior, it’s reported that he was also subjected to filthy diapers, which were changed ‘at least one time per day’.

Jesse Vang (Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the complaint, Baur also told detectives that she and Vang had ‘discussed with him the limits of what discipline she did not want used’ but he was ‘the enforcer of rules in the relationship’.

Detective Herrmann and Lieutenant Jacob Glaser from the Two Rivers Police Department described what Elijah was put through.

Herrman shared: “Mr Vang advised that the child was still bottle fed.

“He was attempting to get the child to move to more solid or adult-style food during the time he was with him.”

When the DA asked if food was withheld from the child, Herrman said that milk was allegedly withheld.

Messages also showed Baur and Vang discussing Elijah, as well as showing photos in which Elijah appeared to be bruised.

The child’s mother was charged with neglect (Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office)

Lt Glaser said: “The photograph depicts [Elijah] wearing what is believed to be a black blindfold and appears to have bruising to his cheek, neck and arm area.”

The officer confirmed that the image had been taken in the early hours of February 14, just two days after Baur taken him over to Vang’s.

The court was also told about Elijah allegedly being threatened with cold water, particularly when Vang mentioned to Baur in a text exchange three days before he went missing.

The lieutenant said: “I recall him stating that he had given [Elijah] a cold shower and that he appeared to be scared afterwards.”

Two days before the tot went missing, Vang text Elijah’s mom that he ‘didn’t respect me… now I’m making him respect me’.

A summary of the texts between the two claimed that Elijah had been doused with cold water, and at the time he was ‘clean but scared’.

Vang went on to explain to detectives that he ‘is afraid of him, as per the complaint, then corrected himself,’ and instead used the words ‘respects me’.

Vang was later charged with felony chronic neglect of a child and Baur was charged with felony chronic neglect of a child, two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, and one count of neglecting a child.

The case is ongoing.

UNILAD contacted the Two Rivers authorities for comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza’s husband, has been honored in an obituary following his tragic and ‘unexpected’ death by suicide.

Baena was found dead by one of his assistants in his Los Angeles home on Friday, January 3.

The 47-year-old was tragically pronounced dead at the scene when emergency services raced to his and Aubrey Plaza’s Los Feliz property.

Now, a new obituary has been published in the Miami Herald for the late filmmaker.

Jeff died by suicide at the start of the year (Mat Hayward/Getty Images)

The notice starts: “It is with profound sadness and grief that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of Jeff Baena, a beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many.

“Jeff left us too soon but despite his woefully too-short life, he left us with treasured memories of a gifted filmmaker, as well as a very special person on so many different levels.”

Baena, was born in Miami, Florida, before he graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1999.

He then moved to LA to pursue a career in Hollywood where he first came under the wing of Robert Zemeckis as a production assistant and then an assistant editor for writer-director, David O Russell.

The obituary adds Baena collaborated on the films I Heart Hucakabees and Meet the Fockers.

Jeff and his wife, Aubrey Plaza, worked together on various films (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

“Jeff fell in love with film at 11 years old watching A Clockwork Orange and Felini’s 8 1/2, elements of which influenced his own movies decades later. His body of work is testimony to his keen intellect”, the eulogy continues, “Those who worked with him praise his vision, taste, technical competence, and ability to coalesce actors into an ensemble that performs in perfect harmony.”

In his career, he directed six films, the first being Life After Beth in 2014, which he wrote himself and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In fact, all of the films he directed he also wrote the screenplay for.

The zombie comedy featured his wife Plaza, who at the time he’d been dating for a few years.

Years later in 2021, the actress revealed the two had tied the knot in a small wedding in 2020, by referring to him as her husband in an Instagram post.

The couple worked together on numerous titles, including Cinema Toast, in which Plaza made her directorial debut.

Beyond his film work, the memorial notes he ‘loved the company if his friends’ and had ‘a gift of bringing people together’.

He has been remembered for his passion in the industry (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

It adds: “His magic sauce was ensuring everyone was having fun and no one ever left his get-togethers as a stranger.”

The notice also reveals Baena loved reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery as a child, adding: “Ironically, it it, the Little Prince exclaims, ‘I haven’t much time. I have friends to find and so many things to learn.’ And so it was for Jeff.”

Baena is survived by wife, Aubrey Plaza, parents, Barbara Stern and Scott Baena, step-father, Roger Stern, stepmother, Michele Baena, brother Brad, step-sister, Bianca Gabay and step-brother Jed Fluxman, as well a nephes and nieces.

The obituary concludes: “We shall always love and deeply miss Jeff. His presence, as well as his work, made the world feel better. He had lots more to offer. Alas, all that is gone. Sweet dreams, our Little Prince.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.

Warning: This article contains graphic details and discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.

Appalling details have emerged following the death of a former top Switzerland model with allegations made against her husband.

In 2007, Kristina Joksimovic had the world at her fingertips after being crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland in a pageant and went on to become a finalist for Miss Switzerland.

It kickstarted a career in fashion, with her launching her own business as a catwalk coach, and later mentored compatriot and fellow model Dominique Rinderknecht for the Miss Universe pageant six years later.

Kristina Joksimovic was killed in February this year (Instagram/catwalkcoach)

But her life in the glitz and glamor of the model world drastically changed, and 17 years on from her time catwalking alongside the elite, the 38-year-old was tragically found dead in her home in February.

Joksimovic lived in Binningen, a municipality just to the south of Basel, to the north of Switzerland, by the French and German borders.

The evening before Valentine’s Day (February 13), the mother-of-two was discovered dead by a ‘third party’, a local media outlet reported at the time.

Since then an investigation has been launched by Swiss police into her death, with a man named only as 41-year-old Thomas, the main suspect.

Authorities claim Thomas, who was Joksimovic’s husband, strangled his wife before then chopping up her body into small pieces and blending them.

He remains in jail following his arrest after his appeal to the Swiss Federal Court was turned down by judges.

Local outlet BZ Basel reports that the court’s ruling claimed the accused admitted to killing his wife back in March, during a crime reconstruction.

An investigation into her death has been launched (Instagram/catwalkcoach)

At which point he claimed he acted in self-defence as he claimed Joksimovic had previously attacked him with a knife.

This would contradict his earlier claims that he found his wife dead and decided to dismember her in the laundry room in a state of panic, according to the ruling.

A forensic report has further contradicted his self-defence claim.

The Basel based publication continued, stating that the report indicated how she was strangled before being butchered with garden shears, an electric jigsaw and a knife.

Then pieces of her were ‘chopped up with a hand blender, pureed and dissolved in a chemical’.

The suspect was arrested the day after Joksimovic’s body was discovered and a trial awaits.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.