Olivia man charged in stabbing death of 13-year-old during assault on boy's mother

Houston Morris accused of fatally stabbing the teenager during a domestic dispute with his mother, who was also seriously injured.

March 26, 2022 at 9:05PM

A 38-year-old Olivia man, Houston Allen Morris, faces two second-degree murder charges and an attempted murder charge stemming from an incident on March 24, according to court documents filed in Renville County.

The complaint details how officers arrived at an apartment in Olivia, about 100 miles southwest of Minneapolis, just before 6 a.m. on Thursday, in response to a report of a domestic dispute in progress and a victim reporting having been stabbed in the chest.

Officers found the victim, a 13-year-old boy, with a life-threatening injury, and he later died after being taken to the hospital. A second victim, the boy's mother, had cuts on her head and hands as well as deep bite marks on one arm.

According to the complaint, the surviving victim stated that she had been in a romantic relationship with Morris for about a year and that he began assaulting her after they started arguing in the bedroom. The boy woke up and called 911.

The mother said that after Morris choked her and hit her with multiple objects, she grabbed a knife for protection. The two struggled for control of the knife and when Morris swung the knife towards the mother, he stabbed the boy, who was standing behind her.

On March 1, the mother had received an order of protection for herself and her son after stating in an affidavit that Morris had physically assaulted her multiple times and threatened to kill her and the boy.

Morris was convicted of a domestic assault misdemeanor in 2016. No legal representation is listed in court papers for Morris, who is in custody in Renville County.

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Rachel Hutton

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Rachel Hutton writes lifestyle and human-interest stories for the Star Tribune.

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