Jamel McGriff, of the Bronx, charged with first-degree murder in deaths of Queens couple, Frank and Maureen Olton, charging documents show

A man with a criminal record was charged with first-degree murder late Thursday night in the killing of a Queens married couple early this week in what police described as a push-in robbery, court papers show.

Jamel McGriff, 42, of the Bronx, was ordered held without bail by a Queens criminal court judge following his arraignment for the killings and robbery of Frank and Maureen Olton of Bellerose at the couples' home.

McGriff, who has a lengthy arrest record and served state prison time for robbery, was charged in a criminal complaint with multiple offenses, including first-degree murder, arson, robbery, kidnapping and other alleged crimes. Police said McGriff set the home on fire after taking items such as credit cards.

According to the complaint, the charred body of Maureen Olton, 77, had a "fractured larynx, thermal burns over her entire body as well as soot in the trachea and one lung causing her death."

Frank Olton, 76, was found in the basement of the house tied to a pole with multiple stab wounds to his body which killed him, the complaint stated.

"Mr. McGriff is entitled to the presumption of innocence. We are in the early stages of our investigation, and we urge the public not to draw any conclusions until all the facts are known," a spokesperson for the Legal Aid Society representing the suspect said in an email statement on Friday.

In a statement, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the killings a "brazen" act and a double murder which "shocked the city."

"Frank and Maureen Olton were simply spending a Monday morning a home and their deaths have shattered the sense of safety and security in New York," Katz added.

Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar ordered that McGriff be brought back to court on Sept. 16. McGriff faces life in prison if convicted. 

According to police, video surveillance cameras showed McGriff forcing his way into the Olton's home. He had previously tried to enter a different home under the pretext that he needed to charge his cellphone but was rebuffed and refused entry, police said.

Video surveillance also showed McGriff leaving the home after about two hours with a bag, and a short time later the FDNY arrived in response to an alert the Olton’s son had received from an alarm company about the blaze which was extinguished, authorities said.

Over a two-day period police and members of the Joint Fugitive Task Force combed the city looking for McGriff. They were able to track some of his movements after he started using credit cards allegedly stolen from the couple, including a purchase of $796.10 at Macy’s in Herald Square in Manhattan on Monday, Katz stated, adding that McGriff allegedly provided his own Macy’s loyalty card number for the transaction.

McGriff also allegedly pawned two cellphones in the Bronx that were allegedly stolen from the Oltons and used his own identification for the transaction, Katz said.

McGriff spent part of his time in Manhattan viewing a children’s film at the Regal Cinema in Union Square, according to police. He then was spotted by officers at 44th Street and 7th Avenue where he was arrested on Wednesday.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.