Victim’s Granddaughter Asks for ‘No Mercy’ During Sentencing of Defendant Convicted of Strangling Ex-Girlfriend

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On Nov. 17, a Baltimore man convicted of choking and gagging his ex-girlfriend was sentenced to 25 years in prison before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette M. Bryant.

Judge Bryant stated she believes that this murder happened because Roderick Griffin was asked to leave the victim’s home. She then sentenced him to 40 years, suspending all but 25 years with five years supervised probation for second-degree murder and a concurrent three years for false imprisonment.

Upon release the defendant must complete abuser intervention and undergo psych evaluation as well as psyche care as instructed by the prosecutor.

In September, 59-year-old Griffin was convicted of false imprisonment and a lesser included offense of second-degree murder in connection to murder of Lillian Herndon on April 10, 2020.

According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, at 5:00 p.m. on the day of the incident, officers were called to the 5500 block of Alameda after a woman was reported missing. Upon their arrival, officers found 72-year-old Herndon bound and strangled.

There were very few details given in his statement to the police, said the prosecutor. She claimed the statement was very self-serving, noting that the defendant only focused on how he felt about being homeless and put out the victim’s home.

The defendant never spoke about how he felt about the victim or the actions he took with the victim’s life, said the prosecutor. The defendant described their relationship as manipulative claiming he only wanted to remain friends and she insisted on something more.

Griffin also went to great lengths to keep the victim’s death from her family, claiming he wanted to spare them pain, the prosecutor said. He continued to send text messages to her family pretending to be her while leaving her dead body tied up for ten days in a closet.

The prosecutor suggested that the defendant be sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder and a consecutive 35 years for false imprisonment. Giving him a total of 75 years.

In his rebuttal, Griffin’s defense counsel Todd Oppenheim asked the court to sentence his client to a cumulative sentence of 15 years with a period of probation as well as psychiatric treatment.

Oppenheim noted that his client grew up in a supportive family but at age 14 his father moved out which had a tremendous impact on his upbringing and psyche.

Counsel claimed that his client’s family has a history of depression, he continued, that the defendant was married twice with six kids of his own.

Oppenheim suggested that being on lock down from covid contributed to what led to the events of the victim’s murder. He believes that the 15 year prison time is appropriate.

“My mom had a very infectious smile,” described the victim’s daughter during her impact statement as she fought back tears.

“I pray the court has no mercy on you and you will be caged like an animal until your dying day,” said the victim’s granddaughter as she described how this incident has impacted her life.

When given the chance to address the court, Griffin said he had always said that he should be punished for his actions.

“I’m not this monster they talk about. I wish I didn’t have to be in [Herdon’s] space and I wouldn’t be standing here.”

Griffin said he was not angry with the sentencing and understood what the family was feeling.