Las Cruces Police have arrested a man suspected of using a sword to kill his mother early Friday morning. Joshua J. Hunt. 35, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of tampering with evidence.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Friday, July 18, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to the report of a possible homicide at 5855 Organ Peak Drive. Officers arrived and were met by Hunt who appeared to be waiting for officers just outside the home. Hunt was taken into custody without further incident.
Inside one of the bedrooms officers found the body of 56-year-old Lisa J. Cano, Hunt’s mother, who was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
Las Cruces Police detectives have reason to believe that a long-standing feud between the two led to Hunt killing his mother.
Detectives learned Hunt woke up at around 4 a.m. and began contemplating the way his mother treated him over the years. Detectives believe that sometime before 7:30 a.m., Hunt went into his mother’s bedroom with a long sword which he used to strike his mother’s hand and head.
Hunt’s 31-year-old wife and their two children, ages 8 and 9, were in the home and presumed to be asleep at the time of the incident. After killing his mother Hunt is believed to have walked into his bedroom and instructed his wife to call police.
Hunt is expected to be booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he will be held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Information from Las Cruces Police