9 months after shooting that left her son dead, California mother charged with manslaughter

Nine months after her son was shot to death, a Moreno Valley woman has been arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter.

Teesha Lucas, the man’s mother, said her 22-year-old son posed a threat to her, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. After a months-long investigation, however, sheriff’s detectives saw it differently.

On the afternoon of April 19, 2025, after repeatedly calling her earlier in the day, Xavier Cox arrived at his mother’s home in the 13600 block of Daimler Street, according to a declaration that accompanied the warrant for Lucas’ arrest. Cox did not live at the residence.

While standing outside, Cox yelled into the home, investigators wrote in the declaration. The front door was open, but a locked security door separated him from the people inside.

After being ignored, Cox broke a front window.

Lucas opened the door to confront him. Cox then forced his way inside the home, where a physical altercation occurred, according to the declaration.

During the confrontation, Cox pushed another adult inside the home to the ground and threw that person’s phone into the front yard. Investigators wrote that Lucas then went to her purse, which was on a couch in the living room, and retrieved a handgun, chambering a round.

Cox exited the home and walked toward his car, a black Nissan Sentra, which was parked in the driveway, the declaration said. Lucas followed him outside.

He was walking backward toward the car and was either standing next to it or getting inside when Lucas, who was on or near the front porch, fired one shot, according to the declaration. Investigators wrote that Cox had no weapon at the time.

Evidence collected from the vehicle showed a possible bullet hole in the driver’s side door. Investigators said the trajectory of the bullet was consistent with Cox being seated in the driver’s seat with the door closed and the window up when he was shot.

He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Lucas was questioned by investigators, cooperated with authorities and was later released.

But after the extensive investigation, she was arrested on Jan. 29.

According to the declaration, Lucas told investigators she believed her son posed a threat to her at the time of the shooting.

Investigators wrote that Lucas believed her son may have been armed, because she did not think he would have broken a window with his bare hands. But surveillance footage reviewed during the probe showed that he was not in possession of a weapon, they said.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office charged Lucas with voluntary manslaughter.

“Our office carefully reviews all available materials — including reports, witness statements, and any forensic or digital evidence — before determining what charges, if any, are supported by the facts and the law,” said Molly Smith, a public information officer for the DA’s office.

Smith added that prosecutors reviewed the victim’s mental health history, as well as prior situations involving violence in which the victim was involved, though no details were released.