Suspect in Queens double homicide, arson pleads not guilty
The suspect accused of killing a Queens couple in their own home before setting it on fire pled not guilty Tuesday.
Jamel McGriff, 42, was arraigned on multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, arson and burglary. He's accused of forcing his way into Frank and Maureen Olton's home in early September, killing them and setting their house on fire.
"This is an extremely gruesome case," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "The motive is not clear. What is clear is that two people are dead, and they were murdered inside that house and that there was chances of getting money from their bank."
Friends and family of the Oltons were in court for the arraignment, wearing pins with pictures of the couple.
McGriff is due back in court on Nov. 12. If convicted, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Frank and Maureen Olton found dead inside home after fire
Authorities say firefighters were sent to the Oltons' home on 254th Street in Bellerose just after 3 p.m. on Sept. 8 after the couple's son received a notification of a fire from an alarm company.
When crews arrived, officials say they found both Frank and Maureen Olton dead inside the home.
According to the DA's office, Frank Olton, 76, was found tied to a pole in the basement and had been repeatedly stabbed in the neck and chest, while Maureen Olton, 77, was found in the living room and had sustained burns and a fractured larynx.
After interviewing neighbors and reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in the area, police launched a search for McGriff.
Jamel McGriff arrested after 3-day manhunt
Police said the morning of Sept. 8, McGriff had approached another homeowner in the neighborhood and asked if he could charge his phone inside their house, but the homeowner refused.
Video appears to show Frank Olton talking to McGriff on the sidewalk and letting the suspect into his backyard, but a high-ranking police source told CBS News New York additional video captured the two then struggling at the back door of the Oltons' home and McGriff forcing his way inside.
Footage taken about five hours later shows McGriff leaving the home as smoke began to pour from the windows.
McGriff was taken into custody in Midtown Manhattan on Sept. 10. Police said they were able to track him after he used Frank Olton's credit card at the Macy's in Herald Square, then traded in the Oltons' cellphones for cash at a Bronx check cashing store.
Police said McGriff was out on parole after he spent 16 years in prison for a 2006 robbery. They also said he was charged in 2024 for failing to register as a sex offender, and was wanted in connection to two armed robberies that took place earlier this summer.