ANDREW ISAAC GRIFFIN

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — After a multiple-year and cross-country investigation, Andrew Isaac Griffin was arrested in Hawaii by Belmont County Sheriff’s Department detectives in February.

He was arrested for two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Thomas and Angela Strussion and later extradited to the Belmont County Jail, where he has been since.

The Strussions were found dead inside their home on Trails End Drive in Belmont after a structure fire on Sept. 21, 2021. Days later, former Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas announced that their deaths were the result of a double homicide.

Thomas Strussion and Andrew Griffin were business partners at the Elm Grove location of the Salsa Joe’s restaurant.

In June 2023, Griffin was deemed a missing person by the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma. Following his return to Belmont County, he has been in front of Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter for monthly pre-trial hearings.

Griffin is represented by Kate Clark of Columbus-based firm Samuel H. Shamansky Law Office and the state of Ohio is represented by Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan.

In June, Flanagan announced the conviction of Dalton Ray for obstructing justice after a jury trial. According to Flanagan, Ray was convicted of lying to investigators related to the double homicide case.

Detectives from Belmont County traveled to Oklahoma to interview Ray about Griffin. Detectives were able to determine that untruthful information was given to them by Ray. Detectives then again traveled to Oklahoma to interview Ray for a second time. The testimony at trial showed that Ray again provided false statements to the detectives during the second interview, but this time detectives confronted Ray with evidence contradicting his statements.

“He has no connection to this area whatsoever. His involvement was, again, assisting this individual, and he’s been in custody in one way, shape or form since September of last year,” assistant prosecutor Joe Vavra said. “After he fled from our officers, his probation was revoked. He was on probation down there for another case, and then eventually we indicted him, and our officers sought his arrest and brought him back here.”

Vavra added that a motorcycle is believed to be the vehicle that the Griffin used to go to the Strussions’ house before killing them along with their pets.

Griffin’s trial is scheduled for March 2 and is estimated to take about two weeks. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.