12-year-old's stabbing reflects dangers for children caught up in violence of domestic abuse

Eating an ice cream cone in the living room of the south Minneapolis apartment where he lives with his mom and little sister, Miguel Torres Jr. is a normal 12-year-old boy — save for the 20 stitches and 14 staples that crisscross his body.

Just days before, he awoke from a medically induced coma following a May 6 knife attack at the hands of his mother's ex-boyfriend. Miguel's wounds are a grim reminder of how children — frequently young boys — are caught up in the violence of domestic abuse. Despite the severity of his injuries, Miguel survived and is recovering. In recent cases of intimate partner violence, other boys his age were killed by their mother's partner or ex-partner.

Last week an Olivia, Minn., man was sentenced to nearly 17 years for the 2022 murder of 13-year-old Isaac Hoff. The boy's mom was being assaulted by her boyfriend Houston A. Morris when she grabbed a knife to protect herself. Morris took hold of it and stabbed the teenager.

In 2020, 15-year-old Julio Cesar Guadalupe Rodriguez was defending his mom and keeping his five siblings safe when he was fatally stabbed by his stepfather. Police called him a hero. Jaime A. Vaca pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 31 years.

"Abusers will use children as a means of power and control," said Joe Shannon with the statewide coalition Violence Free Minnesota. "That can be used as a way to get back at the partner in a way that can hurt them for longer."

Miguel said he thought of fleeing the apartment when an allegedly meth-fueled Craig Allen Stevens, 50, attacked him with a knife. But then he realized his 9-year-old sister, Julie, was still inside.

"I was just thinking of ways I could like run outside," Miguel said. "And [Stevens] said, 'Julie, get back in your room' ... then I knew she was here, so I was like, I can't leave."

Miguel's mom, Melissa Williams, who was locked outside of the apartment during the encounter and frantically called 911 before police arrived and disarmed Stevens, said what happened to Miguel was the culmination of an abusive cycle that was difficult to escape.

Williams has known Stevens since they were teenagers growing up in south Minneapolis. She said they were dating in 2021 and things seemed good at first, but she tried ending the relationship because of his addiction and mental health issues. She kept hoping he would change, but she wound up frequently calling 911.

"I've got to constantly tell this man [to] stay away from us until you get the help that you need," she said. "He literally just brought torture in our lives for the last two years."

Stevens was supposed to be in court-ordered drug treatment when he showed up at her apartment the night of the stabbing. Jail records show he was arrested twice within 10 days and sent to treatment, but left.

He was convicted of assault three times and previously court-ordered twice to have no contact with Williams, records show. His most recent conviction in March involved pushing Williams and throwing keys that cut her head. He threatened to kill her if she called 911.

He displayed that same threatening behavior — this time directed at her children — in the early morning hours of May 6.

Williams said something about Stevens was off, more than usual. She said he was paranoid and thought somebody was after him. Police were called at 1:57 a.m. to get him to the hospital. But because Stevens threatened to kill her kids if the cops came, Williams lied and told officers in a panic that Stevens had left. Police cleared the call at 2:10 a.m.

When she went back to her unit, she was locked out. She could hear Miguel yelling for her. Williams said she ran back downstairs and tried in vain to chase after the squad car.

Miguel was in his room when he was suddenly struck from behind on the back of the head, he said. A struggle ensued that moved from his bedroom to the living room. At one point, his little sister woke up and stepped out of her bedroom.

"[Stevens'] eyes were wide open and then he looked at me and he was like, 'Julie, get back in your room,'" Julie recalled.

Miguel, then realizing he couldn't run away, threw a vase and another object at him, but that didn't keep him away. "Then he just jumped on me. And then I fell back on the couch. He was like right there in my chest," he said, gesturing a stabbing motion.

That stab punctured his lung.

The landlord ended up calling 911 at 2:15 a.m., and officers quickly forced their way in.

Miguel was bleeding heavily on the couch beside Stevens, who was still armed and holding the boy at knifepoint. Officers used a stun gun on Stevens, and Miguel said he felt some of the shock given his proximity, but he was able to escape.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement to the Star Tribune that officers promptly responded to 911 dispatches and "remained calm and made heroic, life-and-death decisions in mere seconds with very limited information."

"As a result, Mr. Stevens is alive to face the consequences of his actions, the child is still alive, the mother is able to continue her life with her children, and the officers are able to continue their dedicated service to the people of Minneapolis."

Shannon of Violence Free Minnesota said it shouldn't have to come down to this societal norm of young men being the protector. To end the cycle of abuse, and for children to avoid finding themselves in life-threatening or deadly encounters at home, he said men need a domestic abuse transformation program. It targets violent behaviors in hopes of prevention, he said, because the work, accountability and onus is on abusers, not mothers.

"It's definitely very far from simple to just say, 'Get out of the relationship,'" he said. "There are a lot of factors at play and if getting out of a relationship is going to impact their safety or their children's safety, that may not be the best thing for them at that time."

Stevens was initially charged with felony first-degree assault. On the same day Miguel was discharged from the hospital, Stevens appeared in court where prosecutors announced an additional charge - attempted murder.

"These charges reflect the alleged conduct and will allow us to seek an appropriate outcome in this case that holds the defendant accountable and serves the interests of protecting the public," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the 12-year-old victim and his mother as they attempt to recover from this terrifying and traumatic incident."

As Miguel came out of a medically induced coma, Stevens called Williams from jail. She said he was crying hysterically and asking her what happened.

"You literally brutally attacked my son and you stabbed him nine times. I said if it wasn't for his adrenaline and strength ... you probably would have killed him. And his whole demeanor changed on the phone. He said, 'If I wanted to kill him, I would have killed him.' "

If convicted, Stevens will likely spend several years in prison. Williams said they don't have to worry about him showing up at their apartment again. But she's distraught that it took almost losing her son to know such peace.

Miguel's school recently sent him a gift basket full of books, puzzles and a blanket. In the meantime he's hanging out with his tabby cat, Mikey, but he plans to return next year as a fresh and fully healed seventh-grader. When he breathes in deeply, it still hurts.

He created an online fundraiser on his own. Because Stevens totaled his mom's car, they are paying taxi fares to get to doctor visits and are asking for donations to help cover costs.

"Unknowingly I was attacked from a man I knew," Miguel wrote. "My recovery from the injuries I have it's going to be a process."

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, contact the Day One Hotline by calling 866-223-1111 or texting 612-399-9995.