Atlanta pastor murder: Closing arguments expected Friday morning

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Closing arguments are expected to begin Friday morning in the murder trial of Christopher Griggs, who is accused of stabbing 57-year-old Rev. Marita Harrell, and then burning her body. Harrell was a beloved Atlanta-area pastor who had been mentoring Griggs.

Christopher Griggs is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, concealing the death of another, tampering with evidence, and felony theft by taking. 

Both the prosection and the defense have rested their cases and closing arguments are expected to begin Friday morning.

DeKalb County Police say someone was emptying the minister's bank accounts around the same time that police believe the pastor was stabbed to death by a man she was mentoring.  

Testimony from a cellphone analyst also revealed that Griggs and his housemate were both present at their Panola Road home when the fatal stabbing occurred.

Prosecutors showed jurors a text message Harrell sent a friend at 2:47 p.m. the day she was killed. It warned "If I should disappear today, check out Christopher Griggs at 1386 Panola Road. Young man I am trying to help. Meeting for lunch. I really think all is well, but you can never be too safe. And I don't want a lecture about being too nice or trusting from Tony. Love you." 

Digital experts say someone started emptying out Harrell's bank accounts of more than $2,600 shortly after she arrived at Grigg's home. 

"At 3:17 p.m., $500 is withdrawn. At 3:20 p.m., another $500, at 3:21 p.m., $480," digital forensic analyst Cathy Bancroft testified. 

Griggs, 29, initially denied any involvement, saying he was home from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. He later admitted that Harrell visited him, leaving at 4 p.m. During opening statements, Griggs’ defense attorneys suggested that LaKeya Reid, who lived at the same home, was responsible for Harrell’s death. However, police and prosecutors have dismissed that claim. 

According to the medical examiner, Harrell was stabbed so severely that a 6-inch blade was left lodged in her abdomen. Her body, which had been burned, was found by her husband and eldest daughter in a van abandoned along an isolated part of Coffee Road.

In court, jurors heard testimony about cellphone data from Harrell, Griggs, and Reid, who claimed to have been at home during the murder but did not hear anything.

"Miss Harrell and Miss Reed's devices show them driving out to where the body was found on Coffee Road. Mr. Craig's device did not take that trip," said FBI Task Force Officer Kevin Pacher, who analyzed the cellphone data.

Reid told investigators that she drove Griggs in a car, unaware that it belonged to the pastor or that her body was inside. DeKalb County police have since cleared Reid of any involvement in the crime, and no charges have been filed against her.

Rev. Marita Harrell, a United Methodist minister, was murdered in May 2022. The man accused of killing her is a person she was trying to mentor.

PREVIOUS STORIES

• Man accused of killing beloved Atlanta pastor absent from trial
• Suspect in DeKalb County pastor's murder appears in court
• Family of late Rev. Marita Harrell says God called her to mentor those in trouble

The defense presented one witness, Katrina Fields, who told jurors Reid was like a sister to her. She said Reid and Grigg's had a sexual relationship initially, but it developed into a more motherly relationship by the time they moved in together in 2022. 

Field's testified that Reid did not have any financial problems. The defense told jurors money was the reason Reid killed Harrell.  

Griggs refused to come to court earlier this week because he was concerned about the presence of the media and the murdered woman's family.