A man in Mills, Wyoming, is accused of attacking his 15-year-old son with a knife out of homophobia.
Neither the father nor the son have been named in the media.
According to an affidavit filed at Natrona County Circuit Court, the teen said that his parents got drunk on the night of November 20. He said that he went to bed early and his mother went to bed at around 9PM, at which time his father entered his bedroom and started shouting.
The teen “explained that his father disagrees with his sexuality and felt that ‘gays’ should not exist,” the affidavit said.
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He said that his father got on top of him and pinned his arms down with his knees. He hit the teenager until he pulled out a pocketknife, held the tip against the teen’s throat, and threatened to kill him.
The son said that his father called him a slur.
The father then put the knife near the son’s eye and slapped him, cutting his face.
His mother entered the room and stopped the abuse, and then she and the father got into a fight. The son said that his father choked his mother, and after the fight she went to lie down in the teen’s bed.
The next day, school officials noticed the teen’s injuries and called the police. The responding officer noted that the victim had bruises and cuts on his face and throat that were consistent with his story. It was also noted that he had difficulty speaking due to a sore jaw.
The police officer looked at the victim’s text messages, which included a message from his mother that asked him if he had cleaned his face before going to school. She wrote that the father might go to jail if the teen went to school “like that” and that they would have no place to go if the man were put in prison.
Police say they have searched the home and found a knife matching the victim’s description. They did not say whether an arrest has been made.
