Crime · Richland, WA
Richland Teacher Accused of Killing Mother Found Competent for Trial
A Washington state forensic evaluation found Xavier Johnson, 31, a Richland School District special education teacher accused of fatally stabbing his mother Kaylea Johnson, 60, on Sept. 23 at the Evergreen Ridge Luxury Apartments in Richland, competent to stand trial despite persecutory delusion disorder. Charges were upgraded from second-degree to first-degree murder during a Wednesday hearing, and Johnson is held on $1 million bail while his attorney seeks an independent evaluation. Johnson told evaluators he had recently changed depression medication and experienced paranoid beliefs about being stalked before the incident. Police found Kaylea Johnson dead in her son's living room around 11:30 a.m. with a stab wound to the chest.