A dispute over a proposed narcotics purchase led to a man fatally stabbing his roommate in Lake Worth Beach on June 22, authorities said in arresting the man on a murder charge.
James Russell Griffin, 57, also known as “Rusty,” is facing one count each of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence following his June 23 arrest in the death of 63-year-old Dennis Lamy.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies found Lamy deceased on the night of June 22 after checking on his welfare at a home on the 900 block of Lake Avenue, near Dixie Highway.
During a hearing on June 24 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele assigned Griffin a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail on the murder charge. As a matter of policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.
Stabbing followed one roommate banning other from apartment
According to a sheriff’s report, Griffin told a friend that he stabbed Lamy multiple times after Lamy kicked him out of the residence. Griffin alleged to his friend that Lamy had become angry because Griffin refused to buy illicit drugs, “possibly heroin or cocaine.”
Griffin indicated that Lamy made a disparaging remark, prompting him to grab a knife, the arrest report said.
Investigators say Griffin began making multiple calls and sending text messages that afternoon, asking a friend for help.
“I bloody him up, call me ASAP,” Griffin reportedly said in one of the text messages.
A man identified as Griffin’s friend told investigators he drove to Lake Worth Beach after work and picked Griffin up at a grocery store on Lake Worth Road. The man said he inquired about the circumstances surrounding Griffin’s eviction and learned of the argument that led to the fatal stabbing.
He noted that Griffin’s shoes were covered in blood and that Griffin was in possession of a knife that had a 6-inch blade. The man said he no longer wished to be involved in the situation and dropped Griffin off in the parking lot of a Walmart near West Palm Beach.
The friend then went home and called 911. Deputies conducted a welfare check shortly before 11:30 p.m. that night and discovered blood spatter on a wall near the front door.
Then they found Lamy unresponsive on the floor, the report said.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fatal stabbing followed roommate dispute over drug purchase, PBSO says in making arrest
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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