In Lanham, Maryland, a 42-year-old mother is accused of fatally stabbing her 21-year-old son during a dispute, alleging that he attempted to strangle her.
On Jan. 25, just after 7 a.m., officers from the Prince George’s County Police Department arrived at the 8000 block of Greenfield Drive, where they discovered Cristos Johnson with stab wounds. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Police assert that Johnson and his mother, Querida Rivera, engaged in an altercation. Court documents examined by WRC-TV indicate that the dispute endured for several hours, with Rivera informing law enforcement that her son turned aggressive and pushed her. Allegedly, Rivera retrieved a knife from upstairs, returned downstairs, and brandished the weapon, threatening Johnson. Rivera claimed that her son attempted to strangle her, prompting her to stab him.
However, according to court records obtained by WRC, a witness contradicted Rivera’s account, stating that they did not witness Johnson touching his mother before she fetched the knife. The witness purportedly saw Rivera strike her son and then stab him.