MIAMI – Family members are expressing their grief and disbelief after 23-year-old Daniel Griffiths Sr. was charged with the murder of his 7-month-old son, Daniel Griffiths Jr.
The infant, who suffered multiple fractures and brain injuries, died on October 4 after being beaten at his Homestead home.
As the family mourns, they are struggling to understand how such a tragedy could happen.
Police said the child suffered multiple fractures and brain bleeding as a result of blunt force trauma sustained at his home on October 1. The infant was transported to the hospital by his grandmother but tragically died on October 4.
Janiyah Daniels, the child’s aunt, shared her heartbreak in an interview with CBS News Miami inside the Homestead apartment where the incident occurred.
“It’s a lot. I feel sad and I am angry. This is so hard. Like 100 out of 10. It really hurts, and it has been bad. I want to remember this baby as a good kid. I hope to keep his memory alive because he was a good baby,” she said.
Joeann Griffiths, the baby’s grandmother, also expressed her sorrow, remembering her grandson as a gentle child.
“He was a normal kid. It wasn’t like he was a crying baby. He was a normal baby and gentle. I feel sad and disappointed. I wish I could have been here, but I wasn’t at the time. I want to remember the good times, not the bad times,” she said.
When asked if she had any idea why this happened, she responded, “I have no idea why this happened. I don’t know why.”
Lorenzo Walker, the child’s grandfather, said, “I have not woken up yet. I cannot grasp how this happened to my grandson. I’m just numb, and I don’t know how you can do this to a defenseless child.”
Another grandmother, Yolanda Felton, who brought the child to the hospital, described her shock.
“I am numb. I am very numb. I had trusted the father in my home for several months, and I can’t believe this has happened,” she said.
Walker and Felton spoke with CBS News Miami outside St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church in Perrine, where the family held a private viewing for the child, followed by a public viewing from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
In court, Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause for second-degree murder charges against Daniel Griffiths Sr. and ordered him to be held without bond.
“He acknowledged that this happened while the child was in his care. Second-degree murder is a dangerous crime, and I will grant the state’s motion that we hold you without bond,” Judge Glazer said.
Griffiths Sr. is expected to have another hearing regarding his pre-trial detention on Monday.
Police reports indicate that Griffiths initially gave conflicting accounts of what had occurred.
