Assistant Professor Don Belton
Bloomington man found stabbed to death
IU professor’s killing called a ‘crime of passion’
Stabbing Suspect Says Professor Sexually Assaulted Him
Faculty Bio at University of Indiana
IU community shocked, saddened by professor’s death
Books written by Don Belton
Speak My Name : Black Men on Masculinity and the American Dream
Almost Midnight
Michael James Griffin
Note from blog owner
Please remember to read my comment policy before commenting. Do not blame the victim in any way for his own murder. Whatever happened during the murder will come out at trial, but here, it is a place to remember the victim and not justify or condone his murder. If you want to do that, please go elsewhere.
If it is true this man was sexually abused by the professor it gives you an insight into what sexual abuse can do to a person mind and psyche.
By: Kelly Banaski-Sons on December 31, 2009
at 8:44 am
Great story. Great blog.
By: Dean McAdams on December 31, 2009
at 8:47 am
Leigh Wise-Harold (cousin of Don Belton) Wise Family in Philadelphia, PA
Don Belton, son of Doris Wise and Charles Belton, was a beautiful person! He was a very talented, intelligent, and loving person that encouraged his family to love each other, to seek education and to learn their culture. He would never hurt anyone! The lies that are being told by that monster that murdered him are just that! LIES! What was done in the dark will come to the light! He killed my cousing to cover up the fact that he was GAY! We pray that Michael J. Griffin will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! His life meant nothing to him but it meant so much to so many!
Rest in Peace Don! We loved you then, we love you now and we will love you forever!
By: Leigh Wise-Harold on December 31, 2009
at 12:51 pm
You are right–the truth will come out…what was done in darkness will come to the light. I wonder if this was racism? Or maybe like someone else said…because he was exposed as gay?
By: SafetyMode Systems - Pepper spray, stun guns, tasers, surveillance cameras and more. on January 1, 2010
at 3:49 am
I am a friend of Michael J Griffin. Know him personally. He is no monster. It is so bizarre to know someone who has done something like this. There is no excuse for what he did. He did a horrible thing and I have no doubt that he WILL be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is a tragic story all around. For Professor Belton and his family, and also for Michael and his family.
Michael is a bright young man with a good nature. He was thoughtful and sensitive to others.He earned a purple heart in Iraq. He loves literature. He loves his son. He is not gay, and if he was gay, he is the kind of man who would be proud of it and share it with the whole world. Certainly not murder a mentor to cover it up.
To me the only explanation that my mind and heart together can come up with, is that whatever happened between them made him snap. This is not Michael. Not the Michael anyone knows. No one can ever know what really happened I suppose. I do know that Michael, among the people he knew, would be the last person you would think of to do this. It is the most mind blowing news I’ve ever received.
Try hard to remember that not everyone who has done wrong is a complete evil monster. I know your grief and anger is hard to overcome or look past. This is VERY understandable. I have no doubt that Michael Griffin will pay for he has done, as he very well should. May God have mercy on all of our souls.
By: Ely on January 1, 2010
at 10:48 am
Ely,
Please remember that to a murder victim’s family and loved ones, the person(s) who murdered their loved one will always be a monster. It is human nature. To me, whoever killed my mother is a monster. To me, the young man that killed Rachael Elton (Cameron – who I do know as well) is a monster. To many, my Uncle Rocky Infelise is a monster, but I still love him and always will. Etc. etc. etc.
By: mylifeofcrime on January 1, 2010
at 3:38 pm
mylifeofcrime,
You are quite right and I apologize if my comment seemed at all to admonish the reaction of a murder victim’s family. That is not what I intended. I was only trying to give a little insight as to M. Griffin’s character as I have known it until now. In the end he did a monstrous thing (however out of character it may be) and as a result will be seen as a monster in the eyes of his victim’s family and friends. This is part of his punishment and deserved. Again, I apologize if my comment offended in any way a group of people who need nothing but support in a time of grief. Thank you for allowing my comment.
By: Ely on January 1, 2010
at 9:26 pm
It’s possible to have compassion for a murderer, but I think a lot of us are having trouble with the tremendous sense of unfairness we have about what is going on. Notice what the first commenter on this blog said. Griffin got to tell his version of the story. Don Belton will never have the chance to give his. Griffin killed someone who everyone seems to remember as gentle, kind, supportive and caring. He committed this crime and now he is saying terrible, slanderous things about the deceased. It seems very unfair. It also seems like a mountainous pile of nonsense. If Griffin had really been assaulted, and if he is as wonderful a person as Ely seems to believe, then why would he not have reported the assault to the police? Even if Griffin’s story were true (and it seems unlikely to me), it would take a very twisted person to respond to an assault as he did.
I say these things because Don Belton is not around to speak for himself. In his absence it becomes our responsibility to think hard about Michael Griffin’s story, to try to use our minds and our emotions to ask whether or not Griffin’s story makes sense. I suggest that it does not.
By: Ava on January 5, 2010
at 3:04 pm
Ava,
I agree with you. My opinion (and it is just that at this point) is that he had regrets after the fact and knew that sex offenders are not loved or revered. Accusing the victim of a sex crime would give the accused sympathy. That only works if it was in fact true. I personally do not believe that a sex crime was committed. Don Belton was murdered.
By: mylifeofcrime on January 5, 2010
at 5:39 pm
God bless you Don Belton. Rest in peace. May God comfort your family and friends at this tough time.
By: Shauncey on January 5, 2010
at 4:45 pm
mylifeofcrime,
I do wonder if there was ever any sex of any kind. We can never know, can we? We only know one thing for certain: Griffin killed Belton.
Everything else we know is either speculation from those who knew the killer or the victim (speculation based on their personalities, their demeanors), or a story told by the killer.
If I question Griffin’s story, I see quickly that there is no need to assume that any sex occurred, consensual or not. Certainly I have not heard of Griffin providing any physical evidence of such sexual contact.
Thus why do we not speculate that perhaps there was never any sex? Because Belton wrote he was “happy” to have Griffin “in his life?” Perhaps they had an intense conversation one night. Or maybe they discovered something in common, some shared passion for a particular author or a kind of food.
We presume there was some kind of sex because we want to explain what Griffin did. We want to put him into a neat box and say that this is the story of a self-hating homosexual. But I do not think we have sufficient evidence to say that. I, for one, do not intend to accept the story I am being told by a man who is capable of stabbing another man to death (stabbing him mainly in the back, I think the reports have said).
What if Griffin killed Belton just because? What if Griffin picked this victim because it was easy–so easy–to think of a good cover story for his actions?
What if it was about money?
I see no reason to leap so rapidly to the explanation Griffin wants us to accept, the one that paints him as a suffering victim of society’s lack of acceptance of homosexuality.
By: Ava on January 5, 2010
at 6:09 pm
Don Belton was murdered. A horrible, terrible thing.
Lets keep a few things in mind.
Sexual abusers are often, are actually USUALLY- very nice people. Very admirable people with high social standing that everyone says would never do what they are accused of.
And lets also remember that sexual abuse is a terrible thing at any age to any genger and it does do mental harm.
By: Kelly Banaski-Sons on January 5, 2010
at 6:36 pm
Enough with the nonsense of trying to use Don Belton’s murder as a chance to soapbox about the evils of sexual abuse.
1. Beyond the word of a cold-blooded killer, there is no evidence that sexual abuse took place.
2. Pointing out that there is no such evidence in NO WAY undermines those who work hard to save victims of abuse.
3. Griffin has a reason to claim he was abused: he wants mitigating circumstances to be considered when he is charged, tried and, most importantly, sentenced. Don Belton is not alive to defend his good name against these allegations. This is OBVIOUSLY NOT A CLEAR-CUT CASE OF SEXUAL ABUSE! Find a better case to use if you want to talk about how terrible sexual abuse is.
By: Pearl on January 6, 2010
at 9:59 pm
Killing someone in the act of self defense is not murder, in a fight if you hit someone hard enough in the right places you can kill them with out arms, Killing someone that is hiting you in self defense is not murder, the rights to arms out lined with the 2 amendment shows this view, it is unconstitutional for common defense leadership to dis miss self defense. I pray he gets off an walks an gets his Gold Piece an Horse for his time.
Bruce Anderson Writing.com
By: Bruce Anderson on June 27, 2010
at 10:39 pm
Bruce,
That is IF it is self-defense. How do you know it was? Were you there? Since there was a break in the time from when the alleged assault occurred and the murder (like a few days), that is not considered self-defense.
Wait for the trial.
By: mylifeofcrime on June 28, 2010
at 10:53 am