Prosecutors said the 50-year-old mother, Mary, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She is going to spend 20 years in prison for stabbing her 11-year-old to death. Mary was sentenced this week to 20 years in a state prison, according to multiple news reports.
She was also ordered to pay restitution for her son’s funeral. Bruce Sr., the boy’s father, kicked Mary out of their lives over her abuse.
However, she managed to talk her way back in. On July 10, 2022, deputies responded to the family’s home after Mary’s husband called 911 to report that his wife and son, Bruce Jr., had been stabbed.
During an interview with investigators, the devastated father said that he woke up to the sound of his son screaming, before finding him lying on a bed with multiple stab wounds. He went to call police when he discovered his wife, had also been stabbed but was unconscious in another room, per the release.
The young boy was rushed to the hospital. There, he reportedly told authorities that his mother was the person who stabbed him. He died a short time later. Mary survived in critical condition. Bruce Jr. died but managed to survive long enough to tell investigators his mother did it. Mary later admitted to killing her son, and trying to kill herself, per reports.
According to KRQE, Mary also allegedly told hospital staff, “If I can’t have him, no one can,” referring to her son, KRQE reports. During and interview with investigators, the boy’s dad said he and his son moved to get away from Mary, who he alleged was abusing the boy. Bruce Sr. reportedly intended to file for divorce, citing the alleged abuse and claimed Mary had also been violent with him.
