What to Know

  • Authorities say a paroled sex offender and career criminal killed a Queens couple, then set their home on fire and robbed them
  • Jamel McGriff faces a slew of charges including murder, robbery, burglary, arson, and kidnapping, according to police
  • Neighbors reported seeing the suspect around the neighborhood recently, and police said McGriff had approached at least two homes, saying he was having cellphone issues and needed help.
  • The 42-year-old parolee allegedly tortured and killed 76-year-old Frank Olton and his 77-year-old wife, Maureen, then torched their Bellerose home. Frank Olton was found tied to a pole in the basement, while his wife was found with severe burns on the first floor

The man accused of robbing, torturing and killing a Queens couple inside their home before setting it on fire was set to face a judge for the first time in the case after being charged.

Jamel McGriff faces a slew of charges including murder, robbery, burglary, arson, and kidnapping, according to police. He was walked to a waiting police car with his hands cuffed Thursday evening on his way to court.

According to police, officers were on patrol at West 44th Street and Eighth Avenue Wednesday evening when they spotted McGriff on the street. The NYPD said his movements and credit card transactions were being tracked and had been sent out to all police, which helped the officers identify him and make the arrest following the days-long manhunt.

The 42-year-old parolee allegedly tortured and killed 76-year-old Frank Olton and his 77-year-old wife, Maureen, then torched their Bellerose home on Monday after conning his way inside. Neighbors reported seeing the suspect around the neighborhood recently, and police said McGriff had approached at least two homes, saying he was having cellphone issues and needed help.

“The suspect claimed that he needed assistance, that his phone battery was dead and he was asking if he could enter the house to charge his phone,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “At the first house, the suspect is denied entry. He then proceeds to a second incident location.”

The Oltons apparently bought his story and let him into their backyard. Video shows McGriff going in the back door of the home, and soon after, a man’s voice yells out “get the [expletive] out.”

Police said McGriff was inside for about five hours, according to detectives, before a camera captured him leaving with two bags. Police believe he may have set the fire to try to cover up the killings.

Frank Olton was found stabbed and tied to a pole in the basement, while his wife was found with severe burns on the first floor of the scorched 254th Street residence they had lived in for decades, according to law enforcement sources.

Sources said McGriff had been known to detectives, but is believed to have been a stranger to the couple.

It is believed that both victims were killed before their home was torched. Fire marshals determined the cause of the fire to be incendiary, but no further details were released regarding how it was started.

Before his arrest, McGriff was seen early Tuesday trying to pawn two cellphones at a shop on Fordham Road in the Bronx. Attorney information for McGriff was not available.

Police said McGriff was out on parole after spending 16 years behind bars for first-degree robbery and has a lengthy criminal history dating back 30 years that includes several robberies.

The NYPD added that he failed to register as a sex offender in Nov. 2024 and is wanted for two recent robberies in Manhattan. McGriff allegedly robbed a Game Stop store in July and then tried to rob a Verizon store near Union Square on Aug. 31 until an employee realized McGiff had a fake gun and fought him off.