Son Admits Stabbing, Killing Mom

A Pikesville man who stabbed his mother on New Year’s Eve pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter.

Xander Fried, 22, was originally charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 31, 2024, death of his mother, 57-year-old Melanie Fried.

He now faces up to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and three years for a weapons charge. Sentencing is scheduled for next March.

Xander Fried called 911 around 1:30 p.m. that day and told the operator he had stabbed his mother with a kitchen knife. He said he acted out of fear, claiming she had a long history of abusive behavior and had been making threats for decades.

An adult sibling told police their mother was upset with Xander Fried because he had defended their father during an earlier dispute, Assistant State’s Attorney Kimberly Salisbury said Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Family members told police Melanie Fried had been carrying a knife around the family’s home on the 100 block of Brightside Avenue.

“I thought she was going to use the knife, so I panicked,” Xander Fried told the police

Melanie Fried and her husband of 30 years, Louis Lee, had both been arrested two days earlier following a domestic dispute. Their adult children said Melanie Fried had been the aggressor and that their father had been trying to stop his wife from self-harming.

The couple was released from jail, and Lee was ordered to stay away from the home.

“While alone in the home on the night of the 30th, both Xander and [his sibling] were afraid to go to sleep after she returned to the house,” Salisbury said.

Melanie Fried was found in the living room, apparently having fallen out of a recliner chair after being stabbed.

An autopsy showed she died from 16 stab wounds and 14 cuts.