Las Cruces woman accused of stabbing father during argument over moving boxes, finances
A Las Cruces woman faces felony charges after police say she stabbed her father during an argument over moving boxes and finances, leaving him with serious injuries.
Police say a 71-year-old man suffered a shoulder stab wound and a severe hand injury during a late-night altercation at a Las Cruces home
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces woman faces felony charges after police say she stabbed her father during a late-night argument over moving boxes and household finances, leaving the 71-year-old man with serious injuries.
Robin Rios, 37, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery against a household member with a deadly weapon in connection with the May 9 incident at a home on Sentinel Avenue.
According to a statement of probable cause filed in the case, officers responded to the Las Cruces home at about 10:49 p.m. on Saturday after receiving a report of a possible aggravated assault.
Investigators later interviewed the victim at MountainView Regional Medical Center. Detectives reported observing a stab wound to the man’s shoulder and a deep laceration to his left hand that exposed muscle and severed a ligament. Police wrote that the injury left the victim unable to use his thumb.
Police said the victim told investigators that an argument began over unpacked moving boxes and household finances before escalating into violence. According to the filing, the victim said the defendant’s boyfriend pushed him to the ground before Robin Rios allegedly stabbed him in the shoulder and cut his hand with a pocket knife.
Court records state that the boyfriend declined to provide a statement after invoking his Miranda rights.
According to police, Rios later told investigators that the victim had been verbally abusive and attacked her boyfriend with a dining room chair. Police wrote that Rios admitted running downstairs while armed with what investigators described as a “rainbow-colored ‘mini-cleaver’ style pocket knife.”
Rios allegedly told investigators she held the knife vertically while trying to separate the two men and claimed she did not realize she had struck her father because the room was dark.
Investigators wrote that the downward angle of the shoulder wound and the severity of the hand injury were inconsistent with Rios’ claim that the injuries were accidental or caused during a defensive push.
A public safety assessment later recommended release on recognizance. However, prosecutors subsequently filed an amended expedited motion for pretrial detention, arguing no release conditions would adequately protect the victim or the community.
A detention hearing has been scheduled for Friday morning in District Court.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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