A Hickory man will not face criminal charges in the stabbing death of his stepfather, police announced Thursday morning.
After reviewing the evidence, District Attorney David Learner determined that 33-year-old Derek McAdams acted in self-defense when he fatally stabbed his stepfather, 50-year-old Tony Johnson, during a domestic dispute on Aug. 4.
Johnson died at Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory about an hour after the altercation.
Learner said McAdams defended himself and his mother Teresa Johnson when Tony Johnson physically and verbally assaulted them.
“It’s tragic, very unfortunate,” Learner said. “But it was, in fact, a situation of very intense domestic violence that unfortunately resulted in the death of Mr. Johnson. There was no criminal intent, and this was not a criminal act.”
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According to Hickory police, Johnson returned to the home on Cloninger Mill Road on Aug. 4 and attacked McAdams in his room. When the fight broke up, Johnson turned his anger toward his wife Teresa and began shouting at her in their bedroom, investigators said.
Police then said McAdams stepped into the room with a knife in an attempt to defend his mother when Johnson attacked him again and pushed him against a bookshelf. McAdams stabbed his stepfather in the neck and went out of the house until officers arrived on scene.
“This was a meticulous investigation that all points to Mr. McAdams defending himself and his mother,” Learner said. “Hickory Police Department did a very thorough job investigating this case.”
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