A 17-year-old Alabama boy is accused of fatally stabbing his mother and attempting to kill his father after a family dispute over discipline escalated into violence, prosecutors said.
The attack happened Sunday night at the family’s $314,000 home in Daphne, where authorities say the teenager turned on his parents, Samantha Baker and 46-year-old Lance Baker.
Investigators with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said the confrontation began as an argument between the teen and his parents before it spiraled into a deadly assault.
Because he is a minor, the boy’s name has not been released. Authorities allege he stabbed both parents inside the residence, forcing them to run to separate neighbors’ homes for help.
Police said the teenager followed them outside and continued the attack as the couple tried to escape.
One neighbor told WALA that Lance could be heard screaming, “please help me… I don’t want to die,” as he moved from house to house seeking safety.
Afterward, the teen allegedly barricaded himself inside the home and called 911, telling dispatchers he had argued with his parents and “believed he had stabbed one to death.”
He also told emergency operators he was “unsure” about the condition of his other parent, authorities said.
Samantha Baker, a realtor who previously served in the Army National Guard, and her husband Lance, a US Army Reserve Battalion Commander, were stabbed by their 17-year-old son at their Alabama home on Sunday night, prosecutors say
Samantha, 37, was pronounced dead outside the family’s $314,000 residence in Daphne
When police arrived at the scene, they found Samantha outside her home with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lance was life-flighted to a nearby hospital and, as of Monday, remains in critical condition.
The teen was arrested at the scene and charged with murder and attempted murder.
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He, who has been charged as an adult, appeared in court for his bond hearing Monday. His bond was set at $1 million.
Capt Justin Correa of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said during a press briefing Monday that Lance is ‘hopefully going to survive.’
‘He was running to houses trying to get some help,’ the officer added.
‘It is really sad. It’s very sad for this family, having to deal with it. From everything we can see at this point, this was an isolated domestic incident that really just got out of control.’
Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doggett, speaking to WKRG after the bond hearing, said the investigation remains in its early stages.
He said he believes the teen is a ‘danger to himself and the public at this point.’
Lance, with his wife, survived the attack, but suffered serious injuries. He was life-flighted to a nearby hospital and remains in critical condition
The couple, who met while serving in the Army, have two sons together. The family, originally from Mississippi, moved to Daphne in 2016, public records showed
Samantha and Lance met while serving in the Army, according to their online profiles. They welcomed two sons together, before marrying in October 2012. Their boys attended the wedding.
The Bakers, originally from Mississippi, moved to Daphne in 2016, public records showed.
Samantha, who served in the Army National Guard and Reserve for six years, was working as a realtor at the time of her death.
Lance has served in the US Army Reserve for more than 26 years and is currently a Battalion Commander with the 1184th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion.
He also worked in the physical security and security management sector for nine years.
