Deaths

Lawyer Shot To Death In His Own Home By Mentally Ill Assailant

The suspect had been 'obsessed' with the attorney for years.

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Today, we’ve got some sad news to report from Alabama, where on Monday an attorney was killed in his home by a mentally ill suspect who had been “obsessed” with him for about a decade.

Steve Griffith, 73, a 1968 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and a partner at Griffith, Lowry & Meherg, was shot in his home by Patrick Walker, a man who believed that Griffith was involved in his 1997 marijuana possession case. Griffith had absolutely nothing to do with that case. WHNT 19 News has more information:

Investigators say Walker shot and killed Griffith, the homeowner, when he entered a home on County Road 1301 around 5:00. They say another person inside the home then struggled with the intruder and eventually killed him. Officials are not releasing Walker’s cause of death.

The other occupant of the home is in the hospital recovering from injuries received during the altercation.

The “other occupant” referred to by WHNT is Griffith’s wife, Jackie, who did not shoot Walker, but managed to kill him after an intense fight. Police are not releasing Walker’s cause of death at this time.

Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said that Walker had a 20-year history of mental illness, and shared the following words during a news conference: “This was a product of someone with mental illness not getting treated. This is a subject we’ve talked about many times. It is a subject that makes me angry. It is an issue we all need to stand up and fix.”

Griffith had practiced for 49 years, and both his father and grandfather were judges. His firm, Griffith, Lowry & Meherg, released the following statement via Facebook after finding out about his death:

Our hearts are broken. We have lost our senior partner, our mentor, our friend. No one will ever be able to replace Steve Griffith. He was larger than life. We will miss him more than words can express. Our hearts and prayers go out to Steve’s family.

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We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences to Steve Griffith’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

Suspect killed in home invasion was mentally ill; wrongly believed slain attorney was involved in drug case [AL.com]
Cullman County Sheriff’s Office provides update on shooting that killed prominent attorney [WHNT 19 News]
Lawyer is slain in his home by man who wrongly connected him to 1997 case [ABA Journal]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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