A man who has been accused of the murder of an elderly woman has pleaded not guilty. Jeff Boswell, age 43, was ordered to be held without bail in the death of an 87-year-old woman. He allegedly killed her last month. Murder is a serious charge, and Boswell could face grave punishments up to the death penalty if convicted.
The defendant has a previous conviction unrelated to the death of the 87-year-old Blanche Griffin. That conviction occurred in 1996, and involved a burglary charge from San Diego County. It was worth noting that Boswell is the boyfriend of one of Griffin's neighbors.
According to comments from the office of the Deputy District Attorney, the victim's son-in-law had come over to Griffin's Golden Hill apartment for a regular welfare check. He had not heard from her for several days, and had apparently been concerned. On July 10 he arrived at her home near F Street.
Relatives subsequently found Griffin's body. They noticed that jewelry was missing from her fingers. Other jewelry had been taken from her house. Apparently a personal computer was also stolen.
Investigators found Boswell in the bathtub of his girlfriend's nearby apartment. He was in a state of undress. Only around 15 hours had passed between the initial discovery of the body and the ultimate discovery of Boswell. When investigators found him, he was apparently muttering requests to kill him.
As a result of the missing objects, Boswell was also accused of robbing the victim's apartment. His DNA was found under Griffin's fingernails as well as on her neck. According to a deputy medical examiner, the victim suffered blunt force trauma to the head as well as her neck and chest. She was also apparently strangled.
Should Boswell be convicted he could receive the death penalty. Alternatively the District Attorney could instead seek to have him sentenced to life in prison without change of parole. He was arrested on August 2 for unrelated charges, though a judge has set a status conference for August 22.