Mary Johnson stabbed her son, Bruce Johnson Jr., to death. (Mug shot: Lea County Detention Center; image of Bruce: Lea County Sheriff’s Office)
A mother is going to spend 20 years in prison for stabbing her 11-year-old to death after the father briefly kicked her out of their lives for abuse.
Mary Johnson, 50, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received credit for time served, according to KWES. She must pay restitution for 11-year-old Bruce Johnson Jr.’s funeral and also cover mandatory fees, but the court suspended fines.
The 20-year sentence for second-degree murder is higher than the statutory maximum of 15 years.
Deputies in Lea County, New Mexico, said Bruce Johnson Jr.’s father kicked Mary Johnson out of their lives over her abuse. However, she managed to talk her way back in.
“The investigation revealed that Bruce, Sr. had moved to Hobbs with his son from Oklahoma and left Mary behind after allegations she was abusing their son,” deputies said last year. “Bruce, Sr’s intent was to file for a divorce due to the abuse and because she was often violent with him. He explained Mary had not seen their son in approximately 40 days and had been begging to see him. Mary then came to live with them in Hobbs to spend time with them before the divorce was filed.”
That culminated in tragedy on July 10, 2022. Mary Johnson stabbed Bruce Johnson Jr. multiple times and then herself.
The father woke up to hear his son screaming and discovered his wife in another room, stabbed and unconscious. He found his son reportedly “lying on his bed, face-down with a knife in his back.”
Mary Johnson survived in critical condition. Bruce Johnson Jr. died but managed to survive long enough to tell investigators his mother did it.
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The defendant referenced on Facebook in a June 2022 post to “stabbing a partner’s heart… then yourself,” according to KXII.
There were no reports of abuse or neglect since they moved to New Mexico, but there were at least two reported incidents while they were in Oklahoma, deputies said.
Mary Johnson did not meet the criteria for involuntary detention, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma said, according to KXII. Sheriff Donald Yow said the person would have to show signs of being a danger to themselves or others, according to the outlet.
Mary Johnson reportedly had been living in the Oklahoma town of Kingston. One local described her as exhibiting odd behavior, and he said the entire community noticed it.
“Some of her comments talking about she’s Mary Jesus and just different things, talking about hurting other people,” said Erick Wyatt, who told the outlet his daughter went to school with Bruce Jr. in Kingston.
She got worse after tornados struck Kingston, though this behavior had been going on since “November or December,” he said. “And it kept on escalating more and more.”
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