ORANGE COUNTY, FL (TCD) — Police recently arrested a 23-year-old man in New Jersey on suspicion of shooting a man, killing his 20-year-old girlfriend, and causing the couple's 1-year-old daughter to die in a hot car.
According to a news conference from Orange County Sheriff John Mina., On Tuesday, September 7, 2021, at approximately 5:00 a.m., deputies responded to the 1900 block of Lake Heritage Circle in reference to a shooting. At the scene, police found a male victim in his 20s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital and survived his injuries.
Two days later, a member of the shooting victim's family told law enforcement that they had no contact with the man's girlfriend, Masania Malcolm, and the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Jordania.
After the shooting victim regained consciousness, he told deputies he believed his friend, Doujon Griffiths, shot him in the backseat of the vehicle while he was driving. The victim reportedly believed Griffith had also shot his girlfriend and then drove away with Jordania.
Officials later found the vehicle in a parking lot on Lake Ellenor Drive, according to Mina. Inside the car, investigators found the bodies of Malcolm and her daughter. Malcolm is reported to have died from a gunshot wound, and the one-year-old child is believed to have died from the heat of the vehicle. They were reported to have died two days before they were discovered.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect remained with the victims even after they became homeless, WESH-TV reported. Detectives told the news source that tensions arose because Griffith claimed “his contribution to the household was lacking during the time he stayed there.”
Malcolm and her boyfriend reportedly walked Griffith to a bus stop on September 7, 2021, and asked her to leave. That's when he allegedly shot her boyfriend in the vehicle, WESH reported.
In an update posted March 26, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said: Officers with the Linden Police Department in New Jersey arrested Griffith last week. Police conducted a traffic stop on the suspect's vehicle after learning he had an outstanding first-degree murder warrant in Orange County, Florida. He is expected to be extradited to Florida to face charges as well as attempted murder.
“No matter how many years go by, we will never forget the victims,” the sheriff's office said in a statement. “We hope this arrest brings peace and closure to our community and the two families shattered by this horrific and tragic incident.” said. “
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