Girlfriend says Griffith lied to her
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
February 12, 2015
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/girlfriend-says-griffith-lied-to-her/article_3af95dca-5ad8-11e7-a5d4-10604b9f0f42.html
Jurors heard testimony from Keith Griffith's girlfriend Wednesday at McCracken County Circuit Court during the third day of testimony in Griffith's murder trial.
Griffith's wife was found shot to death in the burnt remains of their Reidland home. He is on trial for murder, first-degree arson, tampering with evidence and two counts of first-degree animal cruelty.
In her testimony, Deanna Cloe, a 51-year-old corporate accountant from Morrisville, Indiana, chronicled her relationship with Griffith, 56 - who had allegedly told her he was divorced.
Cloe said they met in May 2010 at a vendor fair in Indianapolis, where she was working.
"Within five minutes of meeting him, he told me he was divorced and that he wanted to take me out on a date," she said. "We actually went out that evening for dinner."
Over the next three years, the pair dated on and off, meeting for dinner every couple of weeks when Griffith - a traveling salesman - was in town.
All the while, Cloe said, Griffith "constantly showered (her) with gifts," and often sent flowers. Additionally, she said, they frequently exchanged emails, phone calls and text messages. The relationship was never sexual, she said.
Never did she suspect that Griffith was still married, she said, stating he was insistent in his desire to "take the relationship to the next level."
Things started to get iffy, Cloe said, when she had dinner with Griffith a few weeks before Christmas in 2013.
"He let it slip that his ex-wife was still on his insurance," she said. Cloe added that she questioned Griffith further about his involvement with his ex-wife and learned she was also still included on his country club membership.
"At this point he had been divorced five years," Cloe said. "So I'm like, 'Why would she still be connected with (him)?'"
She said Griffith got upset and started to cry, saying, "I will fix this. I'm a fixer, I will fix this. I will take care of it."
In the weeks that followed, Cloe recounted conversations she had with Griffith regarding the legal actions he claimed to be taking to sever ties with his wife.
On their last date - Jan. 16, 2014, the night Julie Griffith died - Cloe said Griffith wanted her to come to Paducah in February for a concert and to meet his father. She also said he talked of moving closer to her and building a home for the two of them so they could be together.
It made her uncomfortable, she said.
"He kept wanting more and trying to move faster," she said. "I felt like I was a prize he was trying to win."
Cloe also noted that Griffith had received several phone calls during that date, which he had ignored, and that he seemed agitated.
Two days later, Cloe said, she learned of Julie Griffith's death when Morrisville sheriff's deputies came to her door and asked her to come to the station.
"I thought he was a good guy," she said. "But then I found out he was lying to me the whole time."
In his cross-examination, Griffith's attorney Mark Bryant implied that in this day and age of social media and online profiles, Cloe could have easily learned of Griffith's wife with the click of a few buttons.
"So, it is your testimony to jury today that you knew Keith Griffith from 2010 until Jan. 16, 2014, which is the last time you saw him, you never one time looked at his Facebook page," Bryant said.
"No, I never did," Cloe replied.
Bryant also insinuated Cloe took advantage of Griffith's kindness and generosity.
"When he started bringing you gifts, you were always ready to receive them ..." Bryant said. "You didn't Google him. You didn't Facebook him. As long as he kept bringing you gifts, that's all you cared about."
Toward the end of his questioning Bryant asked Cloe if, when Griffith said he would fix the situation with his wife, she suspected he meant he'd kill her.
"We need to make this perfectly clear to the jury," Bryant said. "In all of your discussions with Keith Griffith where he told you he was going to 'fix it,' he never one time threatened to kill Julie Griffith, did he?"
Cloe said he didn't.
Other witnesses called Wednesday included representatives from various insurance companies who spoke of the Griffiths' life insurance policies as well as the insurance on their house and cars. McCracken County Sheriff's Department Detective Jesse Riddle was also questioned about his role in the investigation. The expert who analyzed the surveillance video from the apartment complex in Griffith's neighborhood also testified and broke down the video footage frame by frame.
The trial will pick up again at 8:30 a.m. today.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Griffith's wife was found shot to death in the burnt remains of their Reidland home. He is on trial for murder, first-degree arson, tampering with evidence and two counts of first-degree animal cruelty.
In her testimony, Deanna Cloe, a 51-year-old corporate accountant from Morrisville, Indiana, chronicled her relationship with Griffith, 56 - who had allegedly told her he was divorced.
Cloe said they met in May 2010 at a vendor fair in Indianapolis, where she was working.
"Within five minutes of meeting him, he told me he was divorced and that he wanted to take me out on a date," she said. "We actually went out that evening for dinner."
Over the next three years, the pair dated on and off, meeting for dinner every couple of weeks when Griffith - a traveling salesman - was in town.
All the while, Cloe said, Griffith "constantly showered (her) with gifts," and often sent flowers. Additionally, she said, they frequently exchanged emails, phone calls and text messages. The relationship was never sexual, she said.
Never did she suspect that Griffith was still married, she said, stating he was insistent in his desire to "take the relationship to the next level."
Things started to get iffy, Cloe said, when she had dinner with Griffith a few weeks before Christmas in 2013.
"He let it slip that his ex-wife was still on his insurance," she said. Cloe added that she questioned Griffith further about his involvement with his ex-wife and learned she was also still included on his country club membership.
"At this point he had been divorced five years," Cloe said. "So I'm like, 'Why would she still be connected with (him)?'"
She said Griffith got upset and started to cry, saying, "I will fix this. I'm a fixer, I will fix this. I will take care of it."
In the weeks that followed, Cloe recounted conversations she had with Griffith regarding the legal actions he claimed to be taking to sever ties with his wife.
On their last date - Jan. 16, 2014, the night Julie Griffith died - Cloe said Griffith wanted her to come to Paducah in February for a concert and to meet his father. She also said he talked of moving closer to her and building a home for the two of them so they could be together.
It made her uncomfortable, she said.
"He kept wanting more and trying to move faster," she said. "I felt like I was a prize he was trying to win."
Cloe also noted that Griffith had received several phone calls during that date, which he had ignored, and that he seemed agitated.
Two days later, Cloe said, she learned of Julie Griffith's death when Morrisville sheriff's deputies came to her door and asked her to come to the station.
"I thought he was a good guy," she said. "But then I found out he was lying to me the whole time."
In his cross-examination, Griffith's attorney Mark Bryant implied that in this day and age of social media and online profiles, Cloe could have easily learned of Griffith's wife with the click of a few buttons.
"So, it is your testimony to jury today that you knew Keith Griffith from 2010 until Jan. 16, 2014, which is the last time you saw him, you never one time looked at his Facebook page," Bryant said.
"No, I never did," Cloe replied.
Bryant also insinuated Cloe took advantage of Griffith's kindness and generosity.
"When he started bringing you gifts, you were always ready to receive them ..." Bryant said. "You didn't Google him. You didn't Facebook him. As long as he kept bringing you gifts, that's all you cared about."
Toward the end of his questioning Bryant asked Cloe if, when Griffith said he would fix the situation with his wife, she suspected he meant he'd kill her.
"We need to make this perfectly clear to the jury," Bryant said. "In all of your discussions with Keith Griffith where he told you he was going to 'fix it,' he never one time threatened to kill Julie Griffith, did he?"
Cloe said he didn't.
Other witnesses called Wednesday included representatives from various insurance companies who spoke of the Griffiths' life insurance policies as well as the insurance on their house and cars. McCracken County Sheriff's Department Detective Jesse Riddle was also questioned about his role in the investigation. The expert who analyzed the surveillance video from the apartment complex in Griffith's neighborhood also testified and broke down the video footage frame by frame.
The trial will pick up again at 8:30 a.m. today.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
