Mom shot, left to die with toddler in car, Florida cops say. Man arrested years later
More than two years after a woman was shot and left to die in a car alongside her 1-year-old, a man has been arrested in New Jersey, authorities said.
Doujon Duwayne Griffiths, 23, faces charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of 20-year-old Massania Malcolm and her daughter Jordania, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
He’s also accused of shooting Malcolm’s boyfriend, who’s Jordania’s father. He was shot five times and survived, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a 2021 news conference.
In 2021, Griffiths was staying with Malcolm, her boyfriend and their daughter in their apartment when an argument broke out, possibly about Griffiths staying with them, Mina said.
At around 5 a.m. on Sept. 7, first responders received a call about a shooting and found Malcolm’s boyfriend with gunshot wounds, Mina said. The man was taken to a hospital and rushed into surgery.
When he woke up after surgery, he said a friend shot him in the car and potentially his girlfriend as well, according to Mina. He added it was possible the friend drove away with his girlfriend and daughter. Family had reported the two were missing, Mina said.
Two days after Malcolm’s boyfriend was found, detectives found the couple’s car in a parking lot. Inside were the mother and daughter, and Mina said they had been in the parking lot for a couple of days.
Malcolm died of a gunshot wound, and investigators believed the toddler may have died from heat exposure in the car, Mina said.
“The suspect allegedly left that baby to die in that car,” Mina said, calling the action “disgusting.”
Arrest warrants were issued on two counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Deputies asked the public to be on the lookout for Griffiths and offered a reward for his capture, but he left the state and evaded arrest for years, authorities said.
Now 2 1/2 years after the deaths, the Linden Police Department arrested Griffiths during a traffic stop in New Jersey when it learned of his arrest warrants, according to deputies.
He’ll be extradited to Florida to face the charges.
“No matter how many years have passed, we never forget our victims, and we hope this arrest brings some sense of peace and closure to our community and the two families shattered by this horribly tragic case,” Orange County deputies said.
Orange County is in central Florida and includes the Orlando metropolitan area.
This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Mom shot, left to die with toddler in car, Florida cops say. Man arrested years later."