A 40-year-old Las Cruces man was arrested and charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault by Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies Sunday evening after he allegedly attacked his 71-year-old mother with both a knife and a barstool.
William Tyson Mosley reportedly went to his mother’s house on Fairacres Road around 5:30 p.m. to spend the night. The victim said her son was acting “stranger than normal” and had cleaned the house before going to a bedroom. When Mosley came out of the bedroom, the victim said he was completely naked, and he began yelling, “The wrath of God is happening. We must kill them all.”
At that point, the victim said Mosley picked up a kitchen knife and allegedly threw it at her, striking her in the forehead. The victim retrieved the knife and went outside, but was chased by Mosley, who had grabbed a barstool. Mosley then reportedly used the barstool to hit his mother in the head.
A family member who lives nearby reportedly heard the commotion and went to help the victim, who was by then lying in the grass with Mosley’s arms wrapped around her face and neck. The family member got into a physical altercation with Mosley, who ran down the street, where he was met by deputies.
Investigators said Mosley admitted to his mother that he had smoked spice earlier.
Spice is a synthetic herbal drug that produces a euphoric-like high when smoked.
The victim was transported to an El Paso-area hospital with a puncture wound to her forehead and a compound skull fracture.
Mosley was arrested and transported to the Doña Ana County Detention Center where he is being held on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault. His cash-only bond has been set at $150,000.
Information from Dona Ana County