The man accused of brutally killing and incinerating an elderly couple in Queens allegedly took a souvenir New York Yankees baseball from their home as he fled, according to prosecutors and insider sources.
Jamel McGriff, 42, has been indicted on 50 counts after allegedly torturing Frank Olton, 76, and his 77-year-old wife, Maureen, inside their residence in Bellerose, as reported by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
According to the indictment, McGriff reportedly took a baseball belonging to Olton, whom he allegedly stabbed multiple times while tied up in the basement, following his forceful entry into their home on September 8.
The 2001 New York Yankees baseball was said to bear an autograph of the team and was visibly displayed in the couple’s residence, as per law enforcement sources.
While escaping the scene he reportedly set on fire, McGriff also stole the couple’s credit cards and phones, authorities stated.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured him leaving with a duffel bag, according to prosecutors.
During the nearly five hours he spent in the home, it’s claimed that he proceeded directly to Macy’s in Herald Square, where he spent $796.10 on clothing using Olton’s credit card, providing the cashier with his loyalty number for that transaction, prosecutors added.
Additionally, he allegedly pawned their two cellphones at a check-cashing store in the Bronx and went to the Regal Union Square movie theater to enjoy the animated film “Light of the World,” funded by the Oltons’ stolen money, according to court documents and law enforcement sources.
He was apprehended on September 10 after law enforcement utilized surveillance footage from the theater to find him in Times Square.
During last month’s arraignment, it was revealed that Maureen Olton was still alive when McGriff allegedly ignited the inferno at their home.
She was discovered in the living room with injuries including a fractured larynx, along with soot detected in her trachea and one lung, authorities said.
McGriff’s criminal history includes 11 prior convictions, four of which were for violent offenses, according to prosecutors.
He had been on parole after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery and sexual crimes, having been released in 2023.
He was out of prison for over a year when the NYPD informed the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision that he had failed to register his address for the sex offender registry in 2024, as per a department spokesperson.
McGriff is charged with 50 counts including 13 counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, and various other charges for the heinous crimes, according to court filings.
“On a quiet Monday morning, the charges allege that the defendant forced entry into Frank and Maureen Olton’s home, attempted to transfer money from their accounts, murdered them, and set their house on fire before fleeing with their belongings,” stated Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“He used their credit cards until he was ultimately apprehended by the NYPD,” Katz confirmed.
McGriff could potentially face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
His next court appearance is scheduled for November 12.
