Lithonia man sentenced to life in prison for killing woman and dumping body remains at construction site

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A Lithonia man was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years after a DeKalb County jury found him guilty of killing a woman and dumping her remains at a construction site.

James Lee Griffin Jr., 60, was found guilty Friday of first-degree murder, premeditated murder, aggravated assault and covering up the death of another person, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office said.

In July 2020, police were called to the intersection of Lithonia Industrial Boulevard and Hillandale Drive, where a construction worker said he noticed a foul odor in a blue container. He used construction equipment to move the container, and what appeared to be human remains wrapped in sheets fell out, the man said. Later examination by experts revealed wedge-shaped marks on the ribs that indicated the victim had been stabbed.

After the discovery of the body made the news, police said they received two anonymous tips indicating the victim was 39-year-old Kathleen Bass and recommended police investigate Griffin. Officers found a garbage bag containing a pizza box and a receipt with Griffin's name, phone number and address in addition to the remains.

When police searched the Hillandale Drive apartment, they found the house had been “arbitrarily vacated.” Investigators discovered large blood stains on the bedroom carpet and the smell of bleach. Additional blood samples returned positive DNA tests for Bass and Griffin, prosecutors said.

In court, a witness testified that they dropped Bass off at the apartment complex early in the morning of June 12, 2020. It was the last time anyone heard from the woman.

A neighbor's Ring security camera footage showed Griffin leaving his apartment days later and lugging a large blue container down the stairs. His apartment was about a mile from where Bass' body was found, according to prosecutors.

After the incident, Griffin moved to Arkansas and became a truck driver. He was arrested in September 2020 after returning to the Atlanta metropolitan area to report to a bail bond agency for another criminal case.

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