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Father of murdered 6-year-old boy arrested

Posted at 4:35 PM, Feb 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-13 01:31:04-05

The father of a 6-year-old boy who was found stabbed to death early Wednesday inside an Arapahoe County apartment has been arrested.

Brandon Johnson, 26, is accused of sexually assaulting the mother of his 2-year-old child at knife-point before stabbing his own 6-year-old son in the neck, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Julie Brooks.

RELATED: Police: 6-year-old boy found dead in apartment, woman sexually assaulted

Johnson was placed under arrest while still being treated for what are believed to be self-inflicted stab wounds. He is now being detained while continuing his medical treatment, until he can be taken to the Arapahoe County Detention Facility.

"It’s traumatizing for a lot of people, just the knowledge that somebody could do something to a six-year-old child, it’s devastating and we know it’s devastating for the community, that’s why we’re glad to announce an arrest," said Brooks.

The female sexual assault victim was treated and released from the hospital, along with her 2-year-old child.

Investigators with the Sheriff's Office spent more than 10 hours collecting evidence from the home, finally clearing the scene at 7540 East Harvard Avenue at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. 

Authorities still haven't said what led up to the crimes or which one happened first.

Neighbors Denver7 spoke with said the 6-year-old attended Holly Hills Elementary School. The Cherry Creek School District would not confirm that he was a student there, but did say that Holly Hills had counselors on hand Thursday.

An Arapahoe County deputy was hurt in a crash on his way to investigate this on Wednesday morning. At last update, the sheriff's office said Deputy Bill Foreman was in critical condition. Rescuers had to extricate Foreman from his patrol car.

MORE: Life-saving efforts for deputy hurt in crash while en route to homicide case

Johnson faces charges for first-degree murder and sex assault. 

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