Secret Lovers, Missing Fortunes and a Staged Crime Scene: Inside the 2012 Murder of Byron Griffy

Byron Griffy, a 76-year-old funeral director from rural Colorado, was found shot in the back of the head inside his remote farmhouse on Oct. 12, 2012. There were no signs of forced entry, and his hands were carefully folded across his chest — details that suggested the scene had been deliberately arranged.

The discovery

Neighbors and colleagues were stunned when investigators found Griffy’s body. On the day he died, Griffy had told a friend that two longtime associates from the funeral home would pick him up for a birthday lunch. That afternoon would become the starting point for a complex criminal investigation.

Personal and financial ties under scrutiny

Investigators focused on two fellow morticians who co-owned the local funeral business: Anthony Wright and the late Charles Giebler. In the small community they had long been presented as brothers; the investigation revealed they were private romantic partners, a revelation that shocked many residents.

Earlier in 2012, Griffy had been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage employee. After a burglary at his property, and amid fears about the fallout from the conviction, Griffy entrusted Wright and Giebler with large amounts of cash, coin collections and other valuables for safekeeping. Prosecutors say some items — including a safe the family estimated held about $50,000 — were never returned, and those missing assets became central to questions about motive.

Investigation, death and legal aftermath

Charles Giebler died in January 2013 before authorities concluded their inquiry; family members reported he told them he expected to be arrested. Anthony Wright was arrested in August 2013 and charged with first-degree murder. A 2015 trial ended in a hung jury. In January 2017 Wright pleaded guilty to accessory to first-degree murder and received a sentence of 10 years of probation.

“When I learned Charles and Anthony weren’t brothers… wow, it was a sense of betrayal,”

— a Florence resident featured in a documentary about the case, reflecting the shock in the small town when private relationships were made public during the investigation.

New documentary examines unanswered questions

A three-part documentary series revisits the killing, reexamining how the men's romantic relationship, business entanglements and the handling of Griffy’s valuables may have influenced the events that led to his death. The series also looks at whether the carefully staged scene inside the farmhouse concealed other clues or motives that were missed initially.

The case remains a striking example of how tightly intertwined personal relationships, community reputation and money can complicate both motive and investigation in a small town.