Son Sentenced in Fatal Stabbing of Mother in Pikesville Home

A Pikesville man who stabbed his mother on New Year’s Eve 2024 was sentenced to ten years in prison Friday for 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 entered a guilty plea in December to one count of involuntary manslaughter and a weapons offense.

Judge Colleen Cavanaugh sentenced Fried to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and handed down a suspended three-year sentence for the weapons charge, according to court records.

The judge also recommended Fried attend the Patuxent Youthful Offender program.

Fried will get credit for 465 days he has already served in jail and will be on probation for five years after he is released from prison.

On the day after the stabbing, Fried called 911 around 1:30 p.m. 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, according to prosecutors.

The woman had been stabbed more than a dozen times, according to an autopsy.

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