Son faces charge in Revere woman's slaying

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

A 23-year-old Lynn man fatally stabbed his mother after an argument yesterday afternoon in Revere, then was shot by police officers responding to the scene, prosecutors said.

The stabbing victim, 42-year-old Lisa Bryson Roche, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital yesterday afternoon. Her son, Cory Roche, was in stable condition last night. He is to be arraigned on a charge of murder tomorrow in Chelsea District Court, prosecutors said.

"We will investigate Mrs. Roche's tragic final moments until the facts are known," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said at a press conference this evening at Revere City Hall.

Conley said the officer who shot Cory Roche apparently "acted in self-defense" but the district attorney would not provide details, saying only that "some actions" by Roche prompted the officer to shoot. Roche was hit in the torso. Officials did not disclose how many shots were fired.

Police got a call for a domestic disturbance on Fernwood Avenue at 3:15 p.m. today. Conley said officers arriving at the apartment found a "live" conflict. Lisa Bryson Roche had been stabbed and her son held a knife. Officers ordered him to drop the weapon but "the order went unheeded," Conley said.

News of the daytime stabbing and shooting stunned residents of the neighborhood, which sits just a few blocks from the police station and City Hall.

Doreen Jordan, who lives with her autistic son in a nearby apartment, said she liked the street because it was usually quiet. Yesterday, she kept her son inside and tried to hide what happened from him.

"What triggered the kid to do that stuff? Oh my God, it's awful," she said. "I'm just amazed."

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