A New York City man with a history of committing violent crimes is suspected of killing an elderly couple in Queens before setting their house on fire, police said.
A manhunt was underway Wednesday morning for Jamel McGriff, who is wanted in the deaths of Frank Olton, 76, and his wife, Maureen Olton, 77. Authorities said McGriff went to the couple’s home on Monday morning, claiming that his cell phone battery was dead and he needed a place to charge it.
Video showed McGriff talking to Frank Olton before he was allowed into the couple’s backyard, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Frank Olton and McGriff are then seen walking into the home through the back door, Tisch said. Video showed McGriff leaving the home about five hours later, carrying a duffel bag and a paper bag, she told reporters.
The city’s fire department was called to the home around 3:22 p.m., shortly after McGriff left, for a report of a fire. Police said that the couple’s son, a New York City Fire Department paramedic, received an alert from his parents’ security company about a fire at the home.
Tisch said that the bodies of Frank and Maureen Olton were found in the home after the fire was controlled. Frank Olton was located in the basement, tied to a pole with multiple stab wounds, she said.
Maureen Olton was found on the first floor severely burned, the commissioner said. The exact causes of death are still under investigation.
Police said there is no known connection between the suspect and the victims, and before going to the Oltons’ home, McGriff went to another nearby home but was not let inside.
“The suspect’s M.O. is to go door to door asking for some kind of assistance until he can gain entry,” Tisch warned. “So do not allow anyone you don’t know or who you are not expecting into your home.”
Police said anyone with information on McGriff’s whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
“If anyone sees Mr. McGriff, please do not approach him and call 911 right away. Again, this individual should be considered armed and dangerous,” the commissioner said.
McGriff was last seen on video on Tuesday wearing a black T-shirt, pawning two cell phones in the Bronx.
At the time of the killings, McGriff, 42, was out on parole after serving 16 years for a 2006 robbery, police said. Tisch said that McGriff has a “lengthy, violent” criminal history that dates back 30 years.
He was wanted by the New York City Police Department for robberies that occurred in Manhattan over the summer. In July, he allegedly committed an armed robbery at a GameStop, according to police. A month later, he allegedly tried to rob a Verizon store employee. Police alleged that McGriff asked to see merchandise before forcing the worker into a backroom. The employee noticed that the firearm McGriff had appeared to be fake and fought him off, authorities said.
He also failed to register as a sex offender in November 2024, which should have violated his parole, Tisch said.
McGriff is currently being sought by the New York City police and the regional Fugitive Task Force.
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