An arrest affidavit says the suspect’s sister told police he had made disturbing claims about the Illuminati two days earlier.
WACO, Texas — A 21-year-old man is facing a felony charge after authorities said his mother was stabbed inside a Target store in Waco, prompting surgery and a police search that ended at a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Galveston Elijah Vriseno is charged with aggravated assault of a family member causing serious bodily injury in connection with the Nov. 8 attack, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KWTX. His mother, Ashley Norwood, was hospitalized after the stabbing and was most recently reported in stable condition following surgery. Vriseno was being held on a $100,000 bond.
Waco police were sent to the Target in the 5400 block of Bosque Boulevard at about 2:22 p.m. after receiving a report of a possible domestic disturbance involving a stabbing, the affidavit states. Officers found Norwood injured inside the store. Because she was unable to speak when officers arrived, witnesses provided investigators with a description of the person who had left the scene.
Investigators reviewed store surveillance video that showed Norwood and Vriseno walking through the optical area before the attack, according to the affidavit. The document alleges that Vriseno then attacked his mother with a knife and ran from the store. Authorities have not publicly released the surveillance footage or announced an independently established motive for the attack.
At about 4 p.m., police learned that Vriseno had contacted authorities and was at a Jack in the Box near the Target, according to the affidavit. Officers found him wearing clothing that matched descriptions provided by witnesses. The affidavit also alleges that he appeared to be discarding some items and washing what officers believed was blood from his hands.
After officers advised Vriseno of his Miranda rights, an investigator asked him about a knife found in a cargo pocket, the affidavit says. According to the document, Vriseno acknowledged that the knife was the one used in the attack. Statements contained in an arrest affidavit are allegations and have not been tested at trial.
The case drew additional attention because of information Vriseno’s sister reportedly gave police while officers were searching for him. She told investigators that two days before the attack, Vriseno had made comments claiming the Illuminati had told him to kill his mother and sister, according to the affidavit. Authorities have not established that statement as a confirmed motive, and the allegation does not establish the truth of the conspiracy theory referenced in the claim.
The Illuminati was the name of a historical secret society founded in Bavaria in the 18th century. In modern culture, the name has become associated with unsupported conspiracy theories about a hidden organization controlling world events. Police have not announced evidence connecting any actual organization to the Waco attack.
KWTX also reported that Vriseno had been arrested earlier this year in a separate case involving allegations that he assaulted his pregnant girlfriend after an argument. He was charged in that case with assault of a pregnant woman, a third-degree felony. Available reporting reviewed for this story did not establish the final disposition of that earlier case, which is separate from the Target investigation.
Vriseno remained accused of aggravated assault in the Target case as of the latest available reporting. No plea or next court date was confirmed in the sources reviewed, and the charge has not resulted in a conviction. Norwood’s most recently reported condition was stable after surgery.