Jamaican Man Convicted on All Counts in Florida Double Murder of Mother and Toddler

Doujon Griffith, 26, was found guilty Thursday in Orlando of killing Massania Malcolm and her 1-year-old daughter in September 2021. Sentencing is set for November 16.

Jamaican man guilty on six counts in Orlando killings of mother and infant

A Jamaican national has been convicted on all charges in connection with the 2021 deaths of a young mother and her 1-year-old daughter in Orlando, Florida, caribbeannationalweekly.com reports.

Doujon Griffith, 26, was found guilty Thursday in an Orange County courtroom after a case that stretched nearly four years. He faces six counts, including first-degree murder with a firearm, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, and three counts of shooting at, within or into a building. Sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on November 16.

The killings

On the morning of September 7, 2021, Massania Malcolm, 20, and her boyfriend, Jordane "Sinnaway" Reid, drove Griffith to a bus stop. Prosecutors said Griffith opened fire during the trip, striking Reid multiple times and fatally shooting Malcolm. Reid was hospitalised for several months and later provided investigators with a detailed account of the attack.

Malcolm's 1-year-old daughter, Jordania Reid, was left inside a vehicle parked in an outdoor lot on Lake Ellenor Drive in Orlando. Mother and child were discovered two days later; investigators determined the infant died from exposure to extreme heat inside the car.

Background to the dispute

Griffith and the couple knew each other prior to the shootings. According to investigators, Malcolm and Reid had taken Griffith into their home after he became homeless. Tensions arose after he allegedly failed to contribute to household expenses and the couple told him he had to leave.

Arrest and extradition

Following the attack, Griffith fled Florida. He was arrested on March 26, 2024, during a traffic stop in New Jersey. Investigators said he had changed his appearance by growing dreadlocks. He was subsequently extradited to Florida to face charges that included premeditated first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

Jamaican community ties

Griffith and both victims are originally from Glendevon in Montego Bay, St James, and the killings sent shockwaves through the Jamaican community there. Malcolm's mother, Latoya "Budeisha" Reid, is well known in Montego Bay's entertainment and party scene and now lives in the United States.

Local police had previously said Griffith was involved in gang activity in Jamaica and had entered the United States illegally, though those claims formed part of the investigation and are separate from Thursday's convictions.

The State Attorney's Office confirmed the verdict. Griffith is due back in court for sentencing on November 16.

Source: Google News JM — Crime