Cape Coral TJ Maxx manager’s murder unsolved 5 years later, new details wanted

Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Al Griffiths. (Credit: via Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers)

It’s been five years, with no arrest, since investigators say the manager of a Cape Coral department store was shot and killed outside the storefront.

In November 2014, investigators say 54-year-old Al Griffiths sat on a bench outside the TJ Maxx he managed in Cape Coral when he was shot in the head by an unknown shooter.

SWFL Crime Stoppers hopes the five-year anniversary of Griffiths’ murder Monday will cause new details to surface, and they hope members of the public come forward with them.

Al Griffiths was a son, a brother, a friend and a beloved store manager.

“His loss is huge, and we all feel it” said Pamela Griffiths, Al’s sister.

Griffiths was at his place of work, a TJ Maxx off Del Prado Boulevard in Cape, when someone gunned him down.

“He was literally outside for just a couple of minutes. Someone shot at him,” said Trish Routte with SWFL Crime Stoppers. “They fled the area very quickly.”

The unknown shooter left the scene quickly. Routte said a nearby officer, who heard the gunshots and responded immediately to the store, saw no signs of a shooter.

“It literally took no time flat to get in front of TJ Maxx where this happened,” Routte said. “But by that time, everything had already dissipated.”

On the day of the five-year anniversary of Griffith’s murder, the case has gone cold.

“A lot of leads did come in right after this happened,” Routte said. “There was no stone left unturned, and everything was looked into. But here we are. We still don’t have an arrest, so we really need the public’s help on this one.”

Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help to gather new leads

“Do it for his family. Do it for his friends,” Routte said.

Anyone with information can contact SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). Tipsters are eligible for a $3,000 reward. Also, an anonymous donor is offering an additional $25,000 for information that helps lead investigator to make an arrest.

“Absolute disbelief, heartbreak, heartache. It’s surreal,” Pamela said. “It’s one of those things that you don’t want to happen to anybody.”

MORE: Family of slain TJ Maxx manager speaks for first time

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