For the first time on the anniversary of the double homicide that shocked Belmont County residents four years ago today, there is hope for justice.
The capital murder trial for 33-year-old Andrew Griffin has been scheduled for March 2, 2026, by Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Berhalter, and the Oklahoma native is facing 12 counts of aggravated murder as well as one count of aggravated arson and one count of aggravated burglary. The indictments were returned by the February session of the Belmont County Grand Jury, and Griffin was arrested on February 16th by detectives Ryan Allar and Jordan Blumling in Hilo, Hawaii.
The defendant was extradited and incarcerated in the Belmont County Jail about a month later, an event that former sheriff Dave Lucas firmly believed would take place sooner rather than later.
“I know there’s been some doubt and that people were becoming impatient, but I knew this case would get to this point where we would be waiting for the trial,” he said. “I saw the investigators working and how dedicated they were to get the answers they needed to make the case, and that told me that it wouldn’t become a cold investigation. And here we are now, and they did just that after thousands and thousands of hours of work.
“The miles they traveled, the number of search warrants they filed for, and the phone calls and the amount of research they conducted … I’m not sure if we’ll ever know how much work the detectives put into this case to get us where we are, but I hope the family members and the residents of Belmont County realize that this case took over their lives,” Lucas explained. “I may have been the sheriff during a lot of that time, but all the credit and the kudos go to the detectives.”
He retired in January and handed over the reins to Sheriff James Zusack, a Republican who ran unchallenged in the primary and general elections in 2024. Zusack, a law enforcement veteran since the late 1990s, served as the county’s Chief Deputy for nine years, and he feels the same about Allar and Blumling as Lucas does.
“I watched Ryan and Jordan work the case, and I saw them putting everything they had to get justice and closure for the families,” Lucas recalled. “I’d put Ryan and Jordan up against detectives in bigger cities any day, and that’s because it’s personal for them. Some people will never understand, and that’s OK as long as justice gets served.
“I saw the passion in their eyes,” he said. “A detective’s job isn’t a 9-to-5 thing, and those guys had to tell each other to get sleep sometimes. They took care of each other, and that was another reason I knew they would get this case to trial.”
A Murder Scene
First responders were called to 67140 Trails End Drive early the morning of Sept. 21, 2021, after a neighbor reported smoke coming from the second floor of the two-story, three-bedroom Cape Cod home that was constructed in 2007.
But once the blaze was under control, firefighters informed law enforcement that two deceased individuals were discovered inside the dwelling. Lucas, along with Blumling and a number of other deputies from the county’s Sheriff’s Office, reported to the scene.
That’s when the former sheriff realized that 52-year-old Thomas Strussion and his 49-year-old bride, Angela, were murdered inside their own home.
“I was there. Our people were there. Once the victims were discovered, we knew what we had, and everything was done by the book, and the scene was totally secure. I can’t go into much detail, of course, but the necessary experts were immediately called in, and everything was processed and preserved, but it’s not something you ever really get used to as a member of law enforcement.
“Even though it’s part of the job, it hits us hard, and you have to learn how to take that emotion and deal with it. I can’t say it’s anger, but it’s a sadness because of what has taken place and what we see, and we take that and let it drive us to find the justice that needs to be served,” the retired sheriff said. “It drives us to find the killer.”
The Strussions owned and operated Salsa Joe’s Smokehouse in Belmont, and they partnered with Griffin to open a second location in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling. The two eateries have not operated since.
“We’ve had murders before in Belmont County, and we all know that, but for something like this to happen to a husband and wife who were very active in the community was just hard for a lot of people to believe. I know it shocked a lot of people,” Lucas said. “I know we didn’t want to believe something like this double homicide could happen where we live, but it’s been a reminder that it can.
“We knew how serious it was the day it happened,” he said. “That’s why we immediately took the necessary steps to protect the evidence and the information we collected from the crime scene.”
Time Tells Truths
During Friday’s pretrial hearing, Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan informed Judge Berhalter and Griffin’s defense attorney that “most witnesses in the case reside in Oklahoma,” according to reports from WTOV TV9.
That’s why, the television station reported, Flanagan “requested that all alibis be declared by mid-October to facilitate a speedy trial.”
With the trial set to begin in a little more than five months, pretrial hearings will take place monthly so all housekeeping issues can be managed. Judge Berhalter scheduled the next hearing for Oct. 24th at 1:30 p.m.
It’s all part of a very important process, insisted Lucus, a member of law enforcement since 1979.
“Through the years of working the road and climbing up the ranks, I learned a very valuable lesson,” Lucas explained. “You have to take your time and you have to be patient when you’re looking for the truth. As the sheriff, I learned that you have to put your trust in your people and give them the room so they can do their jobs. Your door always has to be open, but you have to stay in the background, and that’s what I did immediately when it was determined we had a double homicide in Belmont County.”
“I knew I needed to be there to support the family, and to be there for our investigators to make sure they had everything they needed,” he explained. “My job was to work with the Belmont County Commission and with the prosecutor and his staff to allow those detectives to do their jobs, and it may have taken over three years to make an arrest, but they were on the case every single day.”
Most of the details involved with the two murders remain undisclosed because Lucas – and now Zusack – have insisted on silence in order to protect the county’s capital case against Griffin. What is known, however, are the facts about how far and often the two detectives traveled in their chase of clues, that one individual – Oklahoma native Dalton Ray – has been tried, convicted, and sentenced for obstructing the Strussion investigation, and that Griffin was visiting with his younger brother in Hawaii when he was apprehended inside the Home Depot in Hilo.
What is immeasurable, though, is the impact on family, friends, and on the investigators, too.
“Of course, this has been extremely hard on the victims’ families, but when a detective works on a case like this one, it’s something they never forget – and not just because of the details about the murders,” Lucas explained. “You remember the stress and the strain it put on you and the relationships you have with your family members and with your friends. People don’t understand it, but it’s because your brain is always working on the case, whether you want it to or not.
“It takes a toll on you and your relationships. We see the worst of the worst,” he said. “I don’t take care who you are; it all takes a toll on a human being.”
