Perry man charged in murder of parents

Perry Police Department has arrested 25-year-old Anthony D. Shoffner and charged him with the murder of Richard and Rebecca Griffin. Officers reported that Shoffner is the son of Rebecca and stepson of Richard.

On Wednesday at 11:31 a.m. officers responded to 2350 S. Houston Lake Rd., apartment 318, in reference to a request for a welfare check on a person who had not reported to work. The officers checked the residence and discovered two deceased persons: a male and a female.

Perry Police investigators then arrived on scene and later called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Crime Scene Unit for assistance. They then began the process of determining what had occurred at the residence. Both operations lasted into the night and were ongoing Thursday.

As the scene was being worked, the investigators were following leads and developed a possible suspect. While the investigators were working to locate this suspect, he committed another crime.

At 4:27 p.m., officers responded to 710 Mason Terrace in Perry to a report of a male being attacked in the parking lot by another male armed with a baseball bat. The officers found that the perpetrator had left the scene, but he was identified as the subject that was being sought in connection with the homicides.

Within minutes of this incident, Perry Police responded to a 911 call from Walgreens pharmacy store about a subject matching the same description who was causing a disturbance in the store. Officers responded quickly and arrested the suspect.

Shoffner was transported to the Perry Police Department for additional investigation. He was later transferred to the Houston County Jail. Shoffner is charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Additional charges may be added as the investigation continues.

An autopsy conducted at the GBI Crime Lab Thursday morning confirmed the manner of death as homicide. The investigation continues, but it is believed that Shoffner acted alone. No bond has been set at this time.

The Perry Police Department is asking anyone who may have information related to any of these crimes, to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 478-988-2825. Detective Sergeant Q. Gilliam is the lead investigator.

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