It’s been more than six months since a San Diego teenager was killed in a fight outside a birthday party. The case has grown cold, but investigators – and the teen’s family – refuse to give up.
“I really need your help – for my son,” Lee Griffiths, the father of the victim, pleaded at a news briefing Thursday at the Chula Vista Police Department headquarters. “(He) was a very good kid; he was loved by a lot of people who were devastated by this.”
“It’s been very hard,” the dad added.
Lee Griffiths was talking about his son, 15-year-old Devin Griffiths, whose deadly stabbing remains unsolved.
Devin Griffiths was at a birthday party back on Jan. 31 along the 900 block of Maria Way in Chula Vista. According to investigators with the CVPD, at around 10:30 p.m., an argument between two teens at the party escalated into a physical fight.
That fight moved outside, onto the street.
Police said Devin Griffiths was not initially involved in the argument or fight. But he saw his friend being attacked by several young men, and he stepped into help.
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In doing so, the teenager was stabbed several times on his upper body, police said.
Devin Griffiths stumbled away from the fight, falling to the ground.
The suspects – which police believe were part of a group of between eight to 15 people – fled the party in at least two unknown cars.
Devin Griffiths was bleeding and unconscious when CVPD officers arrived on Maria Way. The teen was rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center with critical injuries.
He would remain hospitalized there for two weeks before life, for Lee Griffiths and his family, would forever change. On Feb. 16, Devin Griffiths died, with his family by his bedside.
Devin Griffiths had only turned 15 in November 2019. His dad told reporters Thursday that the past six months without his son have been the hardest of his life.
Today, the teen’s killing remains unsolved.
The CVPD said officers detained and interviewed many of the partygoers on the night of the stabbing who were able to give them some information – but it has been limited.
Police said two arrests were made that night but they were unrelated to the stabbing itself.
So, the calls to partygoers and witnesses continue, the CVPD said.
Investigators said Thursday that the group the suspects were part of consisted mostly of young men between the ages of 17 and 20. There were a few young women in the group, too.
Devin Griffiths' family said Thursday that they were adding $5,000 to the $1,000 reward being offered by San Diego County Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest in their loved one’s case.
After Devin Griffiths' death in February, NBC 7 went to a vigil for the teen that was held at Helix Charter High School. The remembrance ceremony was attended by dozens of classmates who remembered the teen as a caring, giving friend.
