Man who stabbed DeKalb County pastor to death, burned her body sentenced to life

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The man convicted of killing a 56-year-old pastor and burning her body will spend the rest of his life in prison, the DeKalb County District Attorney announced.

Christopher Devonta Griggs, 29, was found guilty on Friday of 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 theft by taking in connection with the murder of 56-year-old Marita Harrell in May 2022.

Harrell was the senior pastor at Connections at Metropolitan United Methodist Church.

In May 2022, Channel 2 Action News’ Tom Jones learned Griggs was in and out of jail and Harrell was counseling him, trying to help him get his life in order. Warrants reveal he stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife and then set her on fire.

On May 18, 2022 shortly before meeting with Griggs at his home on Panola Road, Harrell sent a text message to a friend reading, “I’ll explain later, but if I should disappear today check out Chris’s [sic] Griggs.”

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The text included Griggs’ address.

Family and friends immediately provided that information to police. A SWAT team went to Griggs’ home the next day.

At the same time, a cleaning company arrived that Griggs had hired to clean the carpet inside. The carpet in Griggs’ bedroom and down the main hallway of the home was covered in black oil stains. When crime scene investigators processed the scene, they detected the presence of blood near the oil stains.

The home where Griggs lived, a woman also lived there. She assisted Griggs when he asked her to follow him in her car so that he could drop the van off for someone. The woman told investigators she did not know anyone was inside the van, so she followed Griggs to Coffee Road and then gave him a ride back to their house.

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Harrell’s body was found partially burned, wrapped in bedding from Griggs’ bed and when investigators searched the house, they found his mattress pad freshly washed in the dryer, according to officials.

Cash App records revealed five large transfers from Harrell’s account to Griggs’ account shortly after she arrived at Griggs’ house.

Shortly before his arrest, investigators say Griggs sent a video to the woman he lived with claiming full responsibility for everything that happened.

Griggs was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 21 years.

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