Dad hears son’s screams as 11-year-old’s mom stabs him to death, New Mexico sheriff says

A New Mexico man awoke at 1 a.m. to his 11-year-old son’s screams in their home in Hobbs, authorities reported. But worse was to come.

Bruce Johnson Sr. found his son in his bed with stab wounds on Sunday, July 10, the Lea County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. When he went to call 911, he found his estranged wife unconscious in another room from stab wounds to her chest.

At the hospital, Bruce Johnson Jr. told investigators before he died that his mother had stabbed him, the release said. Her stab wounds were discovered to be self-inflicted.

A warrant has been issued for Mary Johnson, 49, in the stabbing death of her son, sheriff’s officials said.

The father told investigators he had moved to New Mexico from Oklahoma with his son because Mary Johnson had been violent with him, the release said. He intended to file for divorce.

After weeks of begging, he allowed her to visit them in Hobbs before he filed for divorce, the release said. Sheriff’s officials said no reports of abuse were filed in New Mexico.

An investigation into the slaying continues, the release said.

Hobbs, population 42,000, is a city in southeast New Mexico near the Texas border.

This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Dad hears son’s screams as 11-year-old’s mom stabs him to death, New Mexico sheriff says."