ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — An Oklahoma man who prosecutors say shot a Belmont County couple in their home and set the house on fire more than five years ago has been found guilty on all counts by an Ohio jury. Andrew Isaac Griffin, 34, of Whitesboro, Oklahoma, was convicted on Wednesday, November 4, of aggravated murder and aggravated arson in the September 21, 2021 deaths of Thomas and Angela Strussion in their Belmont home. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson and Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan announced the verdict, and local outlet River News Network reported the jury's decision the same day.

Local reporting from the courtroom put the full verdict at four counts of aggravated murder — two counts tied to Thomas Strussion's death and two tied to Angela Strussion's — each carrying a firearm specification, plus one count of aggravated arson for the fire at the Strussions' residence. The Attorney General's announcement described the conviction as aggravated murder and aggravated arson following a seven-day jury trial in Belmont County Common Pleas Court; River News counted eight days of testimony and about four hours of jury deliberations before the guilty verdicts came back on every count.

The business partnership behind the case

According to the Attorney General's office, Griffin and Thomas Strussion had been business partners in the restaurant industry before Griffin was forced out of the partnership. Prosecutors alleged that Griffin fatally shot Thomas and Angela Strussion in their Belmont home on September 21, 2021, before setting the house on fire. The couple were found shot to death inside the home, and the case that followed took more than five years from the deaths to this week's verdict.

The key witness: a longtime friend testifying under immunity

One of the prosecution's key witnesses was Brett Cole, a longtime friend of Griffin who is serving three life sentences in Illinois for unrelated sex crimes, River News reported. Cole testified that he had participated in planning the killing of Thomas Strussion, describing preparations that included obtaining a prepaid cellphone and using a rain suit secured with tape around the wrists. According to Cole's testimony, Griffin later told him that he had shot both Thomas and Angela Strussion before setting their home on fire. Cole also testified that Griffin believed Thomas Strussion was attempting to arrange for someone to kill him — a claim presented as Cole's account of what Griffin said, not as an established fact. Cole received immunity from prosecution in the Strussion case in exchange for truthful testimony, and his statements were among the evidence jurors weighed before convicting on all counts.

Who investigated and who prosecuted

The Belmont County Sheriff's Office investigated the case with help from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, according to the Attorney General's office. The Belmont County Prosecutor's Office prosecuted it with assistance from the Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Section. Announcing the verdict, Attorney General Wilson said: "Today's verdicts hold a cold-blooded killer accountable. I'm grateful to the investigators, prosecutors and jurors who helped secure justice for the victims and their loved ones." Wilson gave a special thanks to Chris Kinsler of his office's Special Prosecutions Section for his work on the case.

What happens next

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter has scheduled Griffin's sentencing hearing for Tuesday, December 1, 2026, when the court will determine his sentence. With the jury's decision reached, the case moves into its sentencing phase — the final major step in a legal process that, for the families of Thomas and Angela Strussion, has run for more than five years since September 2021.