Teen who stabbed mom while she slept gets up to 30 years in prison

GILLETTE (WNE) — The teenager who stabbed his mom in the back while she was sleeping will serve the next few decades in prison.

Tharles Smith, 18, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempted second-degree murder, amended from the original charge of attempted first-degree murder.

On Sept. 2, District Judge Stuart S. Healy III sentenced Smith to 20 to 30 years in prison, with credit for 449 days served. Smith also must pay $9,853.34 in restitution.

Smith was arrested June 11, 2024, for stabbing his mother in the back with an 8-inch blade while she slept, fracturing her left shoulder blade and damaging her left lung.

An emergency doctor told investigators that the woman was “very lucky” to have survived, according to court documents.

Circuit Judge Wendy Bartlett found probable cause Aug. 23 to suspect Smith of attempted first-degree murder, and he was bound over to District Court.

A week after the stabbing, a sheriff’s investigator interviewed Smith’s mother and adopted father and learned that over the last couple of years, Smith had several angry outbursts where he threatened to kill his parents, according to court documents.

His parents said Smith once told his mother that he was “waiting until I am big enough to kill you.” 

The stabbing took place following an ongoing dispute between Smith and his family about his moving out of the home, according to investigators.  He told investigators that he didn’t want to move out.

Later on, Smith could not sleep because he was “too angry” and felt his parents “were trying to get rid of him,” according to court documents. He then waited for everyone to go to bed, entered the kitchen and grabbed a large knife from a magnetic holder near the stove.

This story was published on Sept. 27, 2025.