Details surface in Belton murder case

IU assistant English professor Don Belton, 53, was dead, lying on the kitchen floor of his Bloomington home when at 10 a.m. Dec. 28 a neighbor entered.

Belton had received multiple stab wounds in his back and abdomen and obtained what appeared to be defensive wounds on his hands, said Bloomington Police Department Lieutenant David Drake.

The weapon was later identified as a 10-inch blade “peace keeper” knife that Michael James Griffin purchased before serving with the Marine Corps in Iraq.

Given the brutality of the murder and that nothing appeared to be stolen, BPD officers were led to believe the nature of the crime was “to be of anger or passion,” according to the probable cause affidavit, a sworn statement by BPD detective Marty Deckard.

On a table inside Belton’s residence was an itinerary revealing Belton was scheduled to leave for Honolulu, Hawaii, 8 a.m. that Monday morning, Dec. 28. 

Also discovered was Belton’s diary. In it, a recent entry expressed Belton’s happiness that a person by the name of Michael entered his life. Included on a 4 x 6 inch note card was the name  “Griffin,” a phone number, e-mail and directions to the 5900 block of E. State Road 45 where Griffin lived.

Meanwhile, Jessica Greiwe was at the Batesville Indiana Police Department regarding Griffin, her boyfriend, who earlier told her he killed Belton.

Batesville Indiana Police Department officer Donny Hamilton informed Bloomington police of the suspect.

A search warrant for 5937 E. State Road 45 was obtained around 10:45 p.m. Dec. 28. BPD and the Critical Incident Response Team arrived at the address and took Griffin into custody and proceeded to interview him at the station.

Griffin told police he was sexually assaulted by Belton on the evening of Dec. 25 and came to his home on the 27th to have a conversation with Belton regarding the incident, which escalated into a physical fight leading to Belton’s death. 

“He felt that Mr. Belton was not in any way forgiving and that he did not show or express any type of feeling that what had taken place was a mistake,” Deckard said in his sworn statement.

Griffin pleaded “not guilty” Dec. 30, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for March 3.