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Mansfield father accused of killing daughter, 6

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 24, 2009 06:51 PM

Pool Photo

Kristopher Griffin sobbed and looked at the floor during the arraignment.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

Police charged a 35-year-old Mansfield man with murdering his 6-year-old daughter after being alerted to the crime by a note in which he allegedly asked forgiveness for sending her "to heaven."

Kristopher Griffin, 35, wearing a hospital johnny, sobbed and looked at the floor at his arraignment this afternoon on a charge that he murdered Kaitlynn Griffin. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail. A judge ordered him to undergo psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital and slated another hearing for Aug. 12.

Mansfield police said that at 4:05 a.m. today they received a call from 85 Ware St., where Griffin had been staying, reporting that Griffin was somewhere in town and might have the intention of harming himself. Patrol units were put on the lookout and shortly after that, an officer spoke to Griffin about a half mile from the Ware Street address. At 4:17 a.m., police received a second call from the Ware Street address in which the caller reported that Griffin had left a note asking for "forgiveness for sending Katy to heaven."

Police then went to a home on Chilson Street where the daughter lived, and after a short search found her body in the basement, covered by a blanket, Chief Arthur M. O'Neill said in a statement.

The case is being investigated by local and state police and the Bristol County district attorney's office.

By late morning, 10 to 12 State Police investigators were still busy at the house, a yellow, two-story duplex. Witnesses said that the items removed from the house by officers appeared to include a computer and hard drive.

A child's pink bicycle had been left in the driveway, with a matching pink helmet hanging from the handlebars. A neighbor identified it as Kaitlynn's bike.

Neighbor Jimbo Tardivo said Kaitlynn would sometimes watch from the window as he held cookouts in his yard.

"She was a little peanut, a little star in that window, and I'm going to miss her," said Tardivo.