Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Ohio Man Attacks Mom with Sword

Episode Date: March 31, 2026

Kristian Protheroe went to his mother's Delaware, Ohio home in April 2025 armed with a sword and attacked her. Protheroe's mother told police her son had a history of mental illness and believed his older brother was the reincarnation of serial killer John Wayne Gacy and she feared he might kill him. Protheroe is now serving time in prison for the attack. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through body-worn camera video of the arrest and the details of what happened that day in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Stay Informed, Stay Safe – Check Public Records with TruthFinder now at  https://www.truthfinder.com/lccrimefixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My little brother just came over here and he tried to stab my mom. This story begins with a terrifying 911 call. He had a sword and she tried to grab it. Police find the suspect. I'm giving you simple directions. Spread your feet. And they learn about delusions of a serial killer. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy and this is crime fix.

There are some 911 calls that may even make the most experienced 911 call taker do a double take. Maybe they think, did I hear that right? I think the one I'm going to play for you might be one of those. This case takes us to Delaware, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Columbus, the state's capital. It was April 14th, 2025, when a man called 911 because his mom was in danger. She'd been stabbed, and not with a knife, but a sword. What's going on there? My little brother just came over here, and he tried to stab my mom. He cut her hand. really, really bad. She's bleeding all over the place, and he left. He's headed towards Pennsylvania Avenue. Okay. Is he in a vehicle or on foot? No, he's on foot. He's in a gray hoodie.

Okay, and he stabbed your mom in the hand. He had a sword. And she tried to grab it. He tried to, he tried to stab her in the stomach. His name's Christian. But she's bleeding, so I think she needs the ambulance. Yep, I've got medics started that way, and I'm going to get officers started that way. your little brother's name? His name's Christian. What? Christian Prothero. Delaware police officers hopped in their cruisers and raced to the scene. This is a really scary call. The call taker continued

to talk with Christian Prothero's brother who's worried about his mother. Does he still have the sword with him? No. Is it at home with you guys? Yeah, I have it. What's Christian wearing? He has a gray hoodie on and he has a backpack.

What colors the backpack? I'm not sure. This happened so fast. Yeah, I got you. Do you know what else he was wearing at all? It looks like sweatpants. I can still see him. He's walking right now, so if they get here quickly.

I don't really want to follow him, but, like, I mean, you need to. Yeah, I've already got help started that way, man. These questions aren't laying them. I just got to get some information for them. What color sweatpants is he wearing? I don't know. I think they're probably great, too. Okay.

Can you still see him? Yeah, he's going towards the street, though. Like, I can see down, and then it goes down the hole. So I'm going to try to see which way he's going, but I want to help come. How old is he? He's 28. Her thumb's numb. I've got help coming that way.

They're getting there as quick as they can. These questions aren't delay. It's really, really bad. Her hand's really bad. Just, if you can get a clean, dry cloth or towel and apply. She has one on her. Her other hands, okay. Perfect. And then don't remove that at any point.

If it becomes soaked, just add more cloth to it. But don't pick it up and look at it. Okay. Don't look at it. Keep the cloth on there. We want to try and get it to the clot. So don't pull the cloth away. You add any cloth to it. Do you still see him?

No, he went to the end of the street. So I don't know. I don't know if he went into the front rounds or if he turned right or left. Okay. You're not sure where he went at the end of the street? No, I'm not sure. I got to. Does he live with you guys or where does he stay?

No. he lives, I'm not sure. He's schizophrenic, by the way, I should have told you that, but. Does he walk everywhere, or how did he get to you guys? I have no idea. He maybe walked here. I don't know, but he had a sword, so you would think that somebody would see somebody, unless it was in his backpack, like I didn't. I don't know. How's mom doing? I don't know. She's in here. I think I hear the squad. Yeah, I've got an officer that's getting close to you, and I've got the squad that should be getting close to you as well. her to get her.

Does he have any friends in the area or anybody that he hangs out with to go over anything? Anywhere close he'd go? I kind of doubt it, honestly. Should have an officer pulling up out front there if you see him. Yeah, I see him. My name's Daniel. I'm on the phone with the dispatcher. Yeah, I'll go get her.

Hold on. Her hand's bad. Christian Prothero has a history, so I thought I'd look him up on Truthfinder to see what I could find. TruthFinder is one of the largest websites for searching public records. We use it all of the time here at Law and Crime to research cases and you can use it too. Just type in a name to find addresses, criminal history, and much more about people. It's our go-to tool for checks and one of the largest search services in the United States.

Christians past arrests for menacing and other crimes shows up when I search him on TruthFinder. With a TruthFinder subscription, you get unlimited confidential searches to check on new names. neighbors, vet people you meet online, or find someone to reconnect with. Even look up registered sex offenders who live near you or do a background check on yourself. Stay informed, stay safe, check public records with Truthfinder now at truthfinder.com slash LC crime fix. Police and EMTs arrived at the home within minutes, but they also needed to find Christian Prothero. Christian's brother has told those dispatchers, he, arrived at his mom's home armed with a sword and he's schizophrenic they find Christian.

There he is. And it looks like he's on the ground with him. Okay he's got him against me. Somewhere back there. You know that trail maybe? That is it Gibson. I'm with him. Giving you simple directions. Spread your feet. Put your on the ground. Separate them not bring them together. All right. What do you do? What are you doing? What are you talking about? Meaning starting in the car. Just put me in the car, okay?

We gotta search you. I don't have anything on me. I don't have my ID. I lost everything, because we stole everything. That's why he's having a bad day. I don't even remember my real thing because somebody stole my ID. Like, go ahead and take my bag. Go ahead.

Yeah. So here we see Christian Prothero has been taken into custody, but the police incident report paints a picture of what officers found when they arrived at the Prothero home. The report states Daniel went and got his mother who was still in the house. He said she was bad. The mother came outside holding a towel around her right hand. There was fresh blood on the towel. I could see several lacerations on her right hand.

I also noticed blood outside on the concrete in the front door. Daniel and his mother stated Christian had a sword and was pointing it at his mother to stab her. They were in the kitchen. And when Daniel and his mom saw Christian, he was coming at her with the sword. Daniel said he grabbed at Christian's arms to prevent him. from stabbing his mom. Daniel said his mom grabbed at the sword, and that's when he thinks she got cut. Daniel said he thought Christian was trying to kill his mother and did it on purpose. Daniel said as he was trying to stop Christian, Christian ended up behind him and putting his arms around Daniel's neck.

Daniel said he was choked by Christian. I noticed some redness around his neck. I took photos of his mother before the medics started treating her. At the 533 minute mark, mark on video. His mother said Christian tried to stab her in the chest, but she grabbed the sword. They said Christian has been having mental health issues. What Christian's older brother and mother described is hard to comprehend someone you love and who you think loves you, attacks you, and you have to fight to protect yourself. In a moment, you're going to hear what may have been going through Christian's mind when police and his family say he attacked his mom. The police report lays out how the officers found the sword. At the 920 minute mark, Officer Whitaker and I made entry

into the house to clear it. I yelled very loud, who I was and anyone in here needed to let me know. I did this several times before we entered. There was no response. Officer Whitaker and I cleared the inside of the house. I found the sword used by the dryer. I did not touch it, but noticed blood on the handle. I also noticed blood on the floor throughout the house. After clearing the house, officer Whitaker and I went back outside. We then cleared the detached garage. The mother had left with medics. Daniel was still there. Captain Jason Flynn was on scene and holding the front door. It was then time to gather information about the attack for the investigation. The officer wrote about what was recorded on his body camera. At the 1824 minute mark, Daniel told me that Christian tried to

strangle him during the altercation. He explained what happened when Christian came inside. They were not expecting him and does not live at this location. He mentioned Christian lunging at him with the sword. He also mentioned Christian threatening him and if he calls police, he will kill him. Daniel said Christian suffers from schizophrenia and has gotten worse. At the 22-27 minute mark, Officer Whitaker, me and Daniel, went back inside the house. He told us where it happened in the kitchen, but we did not go into the kitchen. The information that police are gathering is critical and they're gathering this information,

right after the alleged attack, so the details are fresh. Police write about the questions they asked Daniel next. Remember, all of this is on video that hasn't been released yet. One officer wrote, at the 24 minute mark, Daniel explained again what happened. I asked Daniel if he thought Christian was trying to kill his mom. Daniel said, well, when you lunge at someone with a sword, he described Christian as completely out of it. Daniel also said maybe Christian was trying to scare her. I asked Daniel if Christian said anything like he wanted to kill her.

Daniel said he didn't say anything like that. Daniel later told me he thought Christian said something about being the sun and moon before lunging at mom. Now, Daniel has already mentioned to the officers and to the 911 dispatcher that his brother has had serious mental health issues, but then Christian's mother is interviewed at the hospital and what she says adds even more concern about his mental health. The officer wrote, I asked the mother to explain what happened. She said over the last three days, her youngest son, Christian Prothero, had been claiming her other son, Daniel, was the reincarnation of serial killer John Wayne Gacy as an extension of this belief. She said Christian had been threatening to kill Daniel.

For context, she advised Christian was a diagnosed schizophrenic with a long history of mental health problems and he often made threats against her and Daniel. The mother continued that the three used to live together until Christian's behavior became too much to handle and they made arrangements for him to live elsewhere through Delmore dwellings, a nonprofit organization that provides support housing to people with permanent disabling mental illness. So Christian's mother told police that he had been claiming that Daniel was the reincarnation of John Wayne Gacy, the notorious serial killer from the suburbs of Chicago, who targeted young men in the 1970s. Gacy dressed up as a clown at charity events, but Gacy was

anything but funny. He was a monster who lured young boys and men to his home to rape and murder them. The bodies of 29 men were found buried in the crawl space under his home and near his house. So to think that your brother is the reincarnation of Gacy, not a compliment. Really scary stuff. Christian's mother described what happened that day. The police officer wrote, this afternoon, the mother said she and Daniel were in the kitchen when Christian ran into the residence like a horror movie holding a sword. She recalled Christian said something like, this is it, or you are both dead before he came at her and Daniel. She said Christian started to jab the sword at them before she instinctively grabbed the sword's blade and screamed before Christian fled the residence on foot.

She remarked Christian likely would have killed Daniel had she not been present during the incident. I took photographs of the mother and her injuries and had her complete a written statement. She also signed her written consent to release her medical records related to the incident. Now, as you saw earlier, the officers took Christian Prothero into custody. But guess where they found him? When the cops got the call, it came from a golf course. Christian was there and the caller said he was acting manically. So they pulled right up, right by the golf carts, to arrest him.

Here's the rest of the body worn camera footage from the arrest. That was a good bunch of fun for a second. I started, but I could have been in this chair spot. I had the other guy come out because I put me on. He was semi-compliant, so many people came out. He was semi-compliant, so I put him over. He's strong. It was just him, he said.

They got injured? Yeah. Troy, where's your phone? He's right here. They didn't get to work. He's sad, right? Um, this one.

Five minutes ago. I think he can make in this for a North. Where's your come from? Do you guys see the guys get fault? No, yeah. Okay. This guy got a fault of it, but it's on honest. Five minutes ago, I was in the locker room.

We were holding. Christian Prothero was arrested and charged with one count of felonious assault and one count of aggravated burglary. His case was set for trial in February 26, but that trial date was vacated because Christian Prothero pleaded guilty to the felonious assault charge for attacking his mom with the sword. There was no need for a trial. This case, it was a slam dunk. The judge sentenced Christian Prothero to two to three years in prison. He got credit for 303 days he'd already spent in the count. Jail. Prothero will be eligible for release in April 2027. And that's it for this episode of

Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. Remember, you can always watch us on YouTube. You can also watch and listen on Spotify. So catch us there. I'll see you back here next time.