Nancy Grace says Guthrie abduction resurfaced trauma of her fiance’s murder 50 years ago

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Nancy Grace during an interview on a new episode of ‘Hang Out With Sean Hannity,’ shared that seeing Savannah Guthrie discuss her mother's disappearance made her "want to howl in pain all over again" as she remembered her fiance’s murder. 

She also shared that the loss of Keith Griffin in 1979 changed her life and led her to a career helping other victims of crime.

Nancy Grace recalls killing of her fiance Keith Griffin

In August 1979, Nancy Grace’s life was shattered when her fiance, Keith Griffin, was shot and killed by a former co-worker just months before their wedding. 

The killer had recently been fired and took his anger out on Griffin, a "senseles" act that left Grace in despair. 

Reflecting on that time, she said, “When my fiance was murdered, I didn’t even want to say words. I felt like going out in the dark in the woods and just howling like an animal. I didn’t have words to say.” 

The murderer was eventually convicted in 1980 and served over 25 years before his release in 2006.

Nancy Grace connects with pain of Guthrie abduction

Seeing Savannah Guthrie talk about her mother’s abduction forced Grace to remember her own trauma. 

She felt a deep connection to the pain in Guthrie’s voice during the recent televised interview. 

“When Savannah was talking, just her face, and she started talking to her mother when she felt like it was her fault, she said, ‘Oh Mommy, Mommy, I’m sorry, I am sorry,’” Grace noted. 

This display of grief reminded her of the moments she spent alone after losing her partner. 

“It took me right back to that moment, those horrible moments when I was lying there in the dark. Feeling like howling, because there just were no words, nothing,” she said.

Nancy Grace recalls career pivot after partner’s murder

The loss of her fiance completely changed Grace’s career goals, moving her away from literature and toward the courtroom. 

Originally, she wanted to teach, but she felt a new calling to fight for justice. “I was studying to be a Shakespearean literature professor, and I knew I could just never be happy in a classroom, and that had always been my dream,” she explained. 

“I decided to go back to law school to help other crime victims.” She worked tirelessly through law school, often studying in the bathtub to stay awake. Whenever she felt like giving up, she remembered why she started.

“And when I would be tired or weary, just when I was prosecuting, I would think about Keith just looking at me with those big blue eyes and I would know it was my duty. This was my duty now.”