Olivia Man Charged with Murder After 13-year-old Boy Fatally Stabbed
A 38-year-old Olivia man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after he allegedly fatally stabbed a 13-year-old boy during a fight with the boy’s mother earlier this week.
Houston Allen Morris faces two counts of 2nd-degree murder and one count of 2nd-degree attempted murder. He made his first court appearance Friday, where bail was set at $500,000 without conditions.
On Thursday, March 24, at about 5:50 a.m., officers were sent to the 800 block of E. Lincoln Ave. in Olivia for a reported domestic assault in progress inside one of the apartment units.
Olivia is about 100 miles west of Minneapolis, in Renville County.
Warning: the below contains descriptions of domestic assault
According to court documents, the victim—identified by family members as Isaac Hoff—called 911 after he woke up to the sounds of his mother and Morris fighting nearby.
Officers arrived on scene and found Hoff with a stab wound to the chest. He was taken to the hospital but later died from the injury.
Officers spoke to Hoff’s mother, who had lacerations to her head and right finger, cut wounds on the palm of her right hand and several deep-purple bite marks on her left arm.
The woman told officers that she and Morris had been in a romantic relationship for about a year and had been living together for the past two weeks. She and Morris had been arguing in the bedroom when he allegedly strangled her by squeezing her neck with his hand.
Morris then hit the woman on the head with a piece of metal bed frame, causing a laceration. Hoff woke up from the noise of the assault, documents say, and he called 911.
Hoff’s mother told investigators that she retrieved a knife from under her bed to try and protect herself from Morris, who was able to take the knife from the woman and began advancing towards her with it, documents said.
Morris struggled with her over the knife, causing injuries to the woman’s hand, and at some point Hoff came upon the struggle.
Hoff was standing behind his mother while she and Morris struggled over the knife, documents said. Morris then drove the knife towards the woman, but missed her and instead struck Hoff in the chest cavity.
Morris was arrested and booked at the Renville County Jail, where he remains in custody as of Saturday afternoon.
Hoff’s mother had previously filed for and received an order for protection against Morris on March 1, 2022 for both herself and Hoff.
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In the affidavit, she wrote, “[Morris] has verbally, physically assaulted me on several occasions and told me he was going to kill me. If he can’t have me, the world won’t. He has threatened to cut my head off. He has made comments while angry about killing my son. He has threatened my kids and using them against me….he has tried to stab me, punched me in my head six times while I was holding my daughter,” according to court documents.
The woman had indicated that knives had been used or threatened to be used by Morris in previous incidents.
Court records show Morris has a conviction for domestic assault in Renville County from 2016. His next appearance on the murder charges is set for April 25.
If you or a loved one is or may be at risk of domestic violence, please get help as soon as possible. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or see these Minnesota resources.