Woman Stabbed Mom to Death, Stashed Body Under Blankets, Told Young Child to Say Nothing: Police

Sarah Riste, 37, was hit with a first-degree murder charge on Thursday for the stabbing death of her mother Kathy Johnson, 67, per a press release from the District Attorney's Office.

The fatal attack occurred on Sunday, September 28, with officers responding to the home just before 2 p.m., according to a press release from the Westminster Police Department. They said they arrived to find Riste "and a child" at the residence. The pair were sitting on the front steps outside the home, per an arrest affidavit seen by The Denver Post.

Police stated in it that Riste, who had made the 911 call, didn't offer much in that first encounter, only telling them there had been an accident inside the house. She did reportedly give them permission to enter.

Once inside, officers detailed immediately seeing a substantial amount of blood on the walls, and then a body covered with several blankets on the floor at the end of the hall. Johnson, later identified as the victim, was dead and showed "visible signs of trauma" when officers arrived, per their report.

Police said that they observed Riste, whose shirt was covered in blood and had blood on her hands, shouting at the child not to speak. However, it was Riste who first came clean with investigators in a post-Miranda interview at the police station later, per the Post.

She reportedly told them that after suffering years of emotional abuse, an argument with her mother had gotten violent and she had grabbed a knife from the kitchen, fatally stabbing Johnson.

The child also spoke to investigators, per the affidavit, and told them "something to the effect of: mom stabbed grandma, mom is going to jail, grandma is dead and now I don’t have anyone."

The child has been "safely turned over to Child Protective Services," per police. Riste's next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, per Law & Crime.