Man sentenced in murder of 13-year-old and assault of mother in Olivia, Minnesota
Isaac Hoff, 13-year-old stabbing victim in Olivia, Minnesota (Provided)
RENVILLE COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Renville County man was sentenced Wednesday for fatally stabbing 13-year-old Isaac Hoff and attacking his mother during a domestic violence incident in March of last year.
A judge ordered Houston Allen Morris, 39, to serve 180 months, or 15 years, for unintentional second-degree murder and 21 months for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, which must be served consecutively. He has credit for 413 days served.
Initially, Morris was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. However, the attempted murder charge was later amended to assault. He took a plea deal in April 2023 and pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder and second-degree assault in exchange for the intentional murder charge being dropped.
Warning: The following details of this case are disturbing.
According to court records, Isaac was standing behind his mother while she and Morris struggled over a knife. When Morris tried to stab her, he missed and stabbed Isaac in the chest instead.
Isaac called the police. When first responders arrived, he was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.
Inside the apartment, police also found his mother, who had a laceration 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. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries.
The mother told police she had been in a romantic relationship with Morris for about a year, and he had been living with them for the past two weeks.
The mother had previously filed for an order of protection for her and her son against Morris because he verbally and physically assaulted her and threatened to kill her, according to court records.
Prosecutors say Morris was previously convicted of domestic assault. He will serve his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud.
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.