BECKLEY, W.Va. — A West Virginia man is accused of stabbing a woman and beating her 7-year-old son to death with a hammer, authorities said.
Rashad Akheem Thompson, 34, of Beckley, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and malicious wounding, WCHS reported.
“I just lost it,” Thompson allegedly told police as he was taken into custody, the television station reported.
Thompson is being held at the Southern Regional Jail pending arraignment, according to a news release from the Beckley Police Department.
According to a criminal complaint, the Beckley Police Department responded to a report of a stabbing in Beckley at 2:45 a.m. Thursday, WSAZ reported. Police discovered Felicia Brown, 24, of Beckley, bleeding from stab wounds to her face, according to the television station.
Brown told investigators she had been stabbed by her boyfriend, who was identified as Thompson. She added that her 7-year-old son was still in her apartment, The Register-Herald of Beckley reported.
According to the criminal complaint, police entered Brown’s apartment and found a hammer on her living room floor that appeared to be covered in blood, the newspaper reported. The body of Brown’s 7-year-old son was found on the couch, with extreme trauma to the left side of his head, the Register-Herald reported.
Officers found a hammer near the child’s body and also discovered a broken kitchen knife at the scene, WCHS reported.
According to the criminal complaint, police interviewed a neighbor who said she had witnessed part of the alleged attack. The neighbor said she had been awakened by Brown beating on her door. Brown pleaded with her neighbor to return to her apartment to retrieve the 7-year-old boy and a 2-year-old child, WSAZ reported.
The neighbor was able to remove the 2-year-old, but when she returned to Brown’s apartment, she said she saw Thompson striking an area of a couch with an object, the Register-Herald reported.
The neighbor ran away but returned to Brown’s apartment after Thompson was arrested, the newspaper reported. That is when she found the body of the 7-year-old lying on the sofa.
Brown was taken to an area hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, WCHS reported.