ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606100040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
Jerry Griffis, a fugitive who was apprehended at the time his infant son died in Franklin County, was sentenced last week to four life terms plus nine years on multiple counts of sexually abusing a young Florida boy, according to T.G. Pons, a spokeswoman for the state attorney's office in Gainesville.
Griffis, 26, must serve a mandatory sentence of 25 years before he will be eligible for parole, Pons said.
He was convicted in his absence by a Florida jury on four counts of capital sexual battery and two counts of lewd and lascivious assault on a 5-year-old boy in 1990. Griffis had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but skipped out before his trial.
For six years, he remained at large.
Griffis got a job with a carnival, which brought him to Henry County, where he met his wife, investigators say.
They moved to Franklin County in 1993; their son, Cordell Adam Griffis, was born late last year.
In February, Cordell Griffis died. His mother called 911 early Feb. 11 and said the 5-month-old wasn't breathing.
After being flown to Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital from Franklin Memorial Hospital in Rocky Mount, Cordell Griffis was revived and placed on life support. A few hours later, the family decided to take the baby off the support system because his injuries were extensive.
The injuries were viewed as suspicious, and Franklin County investigators were contacted by hospital employees. A computer record check on Jerry Griffis - who, early on, was interviewed about his son's death by an investigator - revealed his fugitive status in Florida.
An autopsy could not determine the exact cause of Cordell Griffis' death; and, while the investigation hasn't been closed officially, no charges have been filed against anyone, said Investigator Bonnie Beatty of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
Griffis, who had been incarcerated in the Roanoke City Jail, was sent back to Florida in May.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB