A mother has been sentenced to 20 years in a New Mexico State prison for the stabbing death of her 11-year-old son.
On Thursday, August 31, Mary Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of her 11-year-old son, Bruce Johnson, Jr.
Initially facing a first-degree murder charge, Johnson also received a restitution order to cover her son’s funeral expenses.
On July 10, 2022, the Lea County Sheriff’s Office responded to a distress call from the family’s home in Hobbs, New Mexico, after Bruce Johnson, Sr., the boy’s father, dialed 911 after discovering both his wife and son with stab wounds.
Mr. Johnson recounted waking up to his son’s screams and finding him injured in their home. Mrs. Johnson was found unconscious in another room, also with stab wounds.
The young boy was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival. While at the hospital, he bravely disclosed that his mother was responsible for the attack. Mary Johnson, who had also sustained self-inflicted stab wounds, survived her injuries. She later admitted to taking her son’s life and attempting to end her own.
Reportedly, Mrs. Johnson expressed distressing sentiments to hospital staff, stating, “If I can’t have him, no one can,” in reference to her son. Mr. Johnson shared that he and his son had relocated from Oklahoma to New Mexico to escape alleged abuse by Mary toward their son.
Despite his intention to divorce his wife due to the abuse, Johnson accommodated his wife’s request to stay with them to see her son.