A mother who pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing her 11-year-old son was sentenced this week to 20 years in a New Mexico state prison.
On Thursday, Mary Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her son Bruce Johnson Jr.
She was initially charged with first-degree murder, PEOPLE reported. She was also ordered to pay restitution for her son’s funeral.
At 1 a.m. on July 10, 2022, officers of Lea County Sheriff’s Office were called to the family’s home in Hobbs, N.M., after Mary’s husband, Bruce Johnson Sr., called 911 to report that his wife and son had been stabbed
Bruce Sr. reportedly told police he woke up to the sound of his son screaming and found him lying on a bed with multiple stab wounds. He then discovered his wife stabbed and unconscious in another room, per the release.
The 11-year-old boy, who was still conscious, was rushed to the hospital, police said. He told authorities that his mother, Mary, was the person who stabbed him. He died a short time later.
Investigators discovered Mary had suffered self-inflicted stab wounds. She survived, and later admitted to killing her son, and trying to kill herself.
Mary allegedly told hospital staff, “If I can’t have him, no one can,” referring to Bruce, Jr., KRQE reported.
According to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Bruce Sr. said he and his son moved from Oklahoma to New Mexico to get away from Mary, who allegedly was abusing their son. Bruce Sr. reportedly intended to file for divorce, and claimed Mary had also been violent with him.
Authorities said Bruce Sr. let Mary stay with them in Hobbs, N.M., after she begged him to allow her to see their son.
“Such a tragic event when anyone, especially a young person dies untimely and at the hands of a parent,” District Attorney Diana Luce said, per the Hobbs News-Sun. “These types of cases are never easy. We can only hope to provide some sense of closure and justice to the family.”
