An 11-year-old boy is dead and a woman was injured after a stabbing incident in Hobbs on Sunday, July 10.
According to a Lea County Sheriff’s Office press release, at 12:53 am on Sunday, Lea County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 3900 block of Dal Paso Street in Hobbs regarding the report of a stabbing.
Upon arriving at the scene, deputies discovered that 11-year-old Bruce Johnson, Jr. and Mary Johnson, age 49, had sustained multiple stabbing wounds.
EMS transported 11-year-old Bruce to Covenant Health Hospital in Hobbs where he was pronounced dead. “His body has been sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for an autopsy,” states the press release.
Mary Johnson was airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas for medical treatment. She remains at the hospital in Lubbock in critical condition. However, after an investigation of the incident, an arrest warrant was issued for Mary Johnson.
According to information released by the Lea County Sheriff’s Department, the boy’s father had been asleep and awoke when he had heard his son screaming. The father, Bruce Johnson, Sr., discovered his son, bleeding from stab wounds. He also found his wife, Mary, unconscious with stab wounds and called 911.
Bruce Johnson, Jr., was conscious according to the authorities when arriving at the hospital. He told investigators that his mom had stabbed him. However, the young boy died from his wounds in the early morning. His body was sent for an autopsy which confirmed multiple stab wounds as the cause of death.
“Mary suffered self-inflicted stab wounds to her chest,” according to the sheriff’s office. No information was given as to the motive behind the self-inflicted wounds or how they may have occurred.
Bruce Johnson, Sr. informed authorities that his wife had been previously abusive with their child and that this motivated him to seek a divorce. She had been away from them for over a month after he moved with their son to Hobbs, leaving her behind in Oklahoma. She had visited recently to spend time with her son before filing for divorce, according to the press release from the sheriff’s office.
“There have been no reports of abuse or neglect since they moved to New Mexico; however, at least two reported incidents occurred while living in Oklahoma,” states the release.
While an arrest warrant has been issued, the case is still under investigation. Anyone having information about the case is asked to contact the Lea County Sheriff’s Office at (575) 396-3611.
Update 7/12/2022 6:40PM: This article has been updated following additional information provided by a press release from the Lea County Sheriff’s Facebook page. The original article only mentioned the stabbing injury and death before an arrest warrant was issued.
