Story and Video: Victim’s Sister Testifies Against Griffin At Murder Trial
Trending
ST. CLAIRSVILLE - During day two of Andrew Isaac Griffin’s trial, Thomas Strussion's sister Lisa Balog took the stand against her brother's alleged killer Tuesday and detailed various financial dealings of the Salsa Joe business, along with her history with Griffin.
Griffin is accused of killing his Salsa Joe's business partner, Thomas Strussion and his wife Angela Strussion, as well as setting fire to their Trails End Drive home near Belmont in September 2021.
She testified Strussion was known to carry around large amounts of cash not only on his person but in his home as well. Balog said she believed it was a learned behavior, since most men in the family did the same.
She said her brother would keep roughly $100,000 of the Salsa Joe’s money in his home until after his death.
Griffin's lawyer Samuel H. Shamansky set the stage for his questioning by stating that in order to maintain a stream of revenue for a restaurant, the owner takes the cash proceeds and puts it squarely in the bank, either every day or every other day.
Shamansky asked Balog if she would keep $100,000 in her home if she had a business generating such money. She said she would.
Afterward, Shamansky pressed Balog more on her brother’s finances. He asked her if Thomas Strussion could have gotten the money elsewhere besides Salsa Joe’s, which Balog said it may have been from Angela Strussion’s 401k.
Shamansky said the money was used to buy the Strussions’ home, but Balog disputed this and said the house was not completely paid for.
"Hold on a second. Your testimony is that Angela Strussion liquidated her retirement and put that money into currency," Shamansky asked.
Balog said she was unsure what Angela Strussion did with the 401k funds, but knew she used a large portion of it for Salsa Joe's and to partially pay off their house.
As the trial went on, Belmont County assistant Prosecutor Christopher Kinsler asked Balog what Thomas Strussion would do after closing up the Belmont location for the night. She said he would take the bags of money with the night's receipts home to Angela, who would help him with record keeping.
For the Elm Grove location, Balog said this responsibility was split between Thomas Strussion and Griffin, since they were partners for this location.
Kinsler then asked Balog about her and Griffin’s relationship. She confirmed they had an affair from May to June 2021. Balgo said the affair ended mutually on a basis of wanting to keep their business relationship healthy.
Kinsler asked Balgo if she and Griffin had any contact after the Strussions’ death. Balgo said they did text occasionally about the incident.
"Not about specifics that were happening within the investigation, but more so my intuitions and feelings about who may have been involved," Balog said.
She added Griffin told her he believed the killings were related to her brother Chris’s death, who died of an overdose in Nov. 2021.
"He was very fearful of I guess mob activity or people like that," Balog said.
Shamansky asked about an incident where “hoodlums” trashed her brother’s yard during the three weeks between Chris and Tom’s deaths, which Balog confirmed she reported.
She then spoke about a conversation she had with Thomas Strussion and Angela Strussion on Sept. 20, 2021 about closing the struggling Elm Grove location.
Balog testified prior to the decision to close the restaurant, Thomas Strussion and Griffin created various themed nights in hopes to bring in more customers.
She said one of these nights included a DJ, meant to attract a younger crowd. Shamansky said the plan worked, but also brought known drug dealers into the bar.
"You indicated that a different crowd started to come to the Elm Grove restaurant, right?" Shamansky asked. "Including narcotics traffickers that always had money and tipped well."
Balog replied she never physically saw the narcotics dealers sell drugs, but said the DJ nights brought people who she thought matched the description.
Following Balog, Griffin's former friend Tommy Williamson and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation crime scene investigator Matt Austin also testified, with Williamson testifying virtually because he was unable to travel due to medical restrictions.
Williamson testified he called Griffin once he heard about the murders and asked him if he did it. He said Griffin told him he couldn’t speak about it over the phone.
Austin then spoke about his time on the scene in Sep. 2021. He confirmed multiple fires were started in the Strussion's home. One fire was started on a couch in the living room, the Strussion's bed and in the hallway next to the living room.
"There was no communication from the hallway or the living room that would explain that fire in the master bed," Austin said.
Austin said a bottle of oil was placed on the stove with the stove's burner on to create a small explosion and another fire, but it did not detonate.
The third day of Griffin's trial will begin at 9 a.m. in Belmont County Common Pleas Court.