An Alleged Domestic Killing With No Stated Motive
Mobile, Alabama police say 19-year-old Samuel Prince is charged with murder in the death of his father, 67-year-old Mark Prince, outside the family home on Victor Road. The Mobile Police Department described the case as a domestic homicide and said investigators believe the killing was premeditated, according to reporting by Law & Crime.
According to that account, officers were dispatched to the residence in the early afternoon. They found Mark Prince lying in the front yard, where he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not publicly disclosed what weapon was used beyond describing the death as a fatal stabbing.
Investigators were seen examining a red truck parked outside the house, Mobile television station WALA reported. Authorities have not said what, if anything, they recovered from the vehicle.
Police have not released any detailed account of events inside the home before the alleged attack. They have also not suggested a specific motive, although they said in a press statement that they believe the stabbing was planned.
What Neighbors Say They Saw And Heard
Much of the public understanding of what happened on Victor Road comes from neighbors who spoke with local reporters and described what they saw after the stabbing.
One neighbor told Law & Crime that they remembered Mark Prince as more than just someone who lived nearby. The neighbor said, “He was a dear person to my family. We love him; we’re definitely going to miss him. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that this, today, would be happening the way that it has.”
Another neighbor described looking out a window and initially not realizing that a person was lying in the yard. The neighbor told Law & Crime, “My husband was looking out the window, and he saw something on the ground. He thought it was clothes at first, but by the time he realized it was a person, you know, the police had driven up, and they were all gathered around. And by that time, more police came and, oh my goodness, it was a circus out there.”
Local station WKRG reported that, according to neighbors, after the stabbing, the younger Prince called his mother and told her to come home from work. She then called 911. Authorities have not released recordings of any calls related to the case, and those details remain based on what neighbors say they told police.
Another longtime neighbor told WALA that the relationship between father and son had once appeared especially close. The neighbor said they remembered the pair as being like “two peas in a pod” when Samuel was younger. According to that neighbor, Samuel had rarely been seen outside in more recent years and seemed increasingly withdrawn. The neighbor told Law & Crime, “The last time I pretty much laid eyes on him, he was maybe 12 years old, and now he’s 19. So, you know, like I said, he stayed in the house pretty much.”
Law & Crime reported that police say Samuel remained at the scene after the stabbing and was taken into custody there. Authorities have not said whether he spoke with investigators or provided any explanation.
A Grandmother Present And A Question Of Premeditation
The case drew additional attention when prosecutors disclosed that another family member had allegedly been present. At a bond hearing in Mobile County District Court, prosecutors told the judge that Samuel stabbed his father in front of his grandmother, according to WALA and WKRG.
That detail does not appear in the initial brief description of the incident from police but emerged in open court. Prosecutors did not publicly elaborate on what the grandmother saw, or whether she has given a formal statement. Court filings that might contain those specifics were not available in the coverage reviewed.
Prosecutors also told the court that investigators believe the killing was premeditated. The Mobile Police Department had used the same term in its press release, as summarized by Law & Crime. Neither police nor prosecutors have laid out in public any specific evidence that led them to that conclusion, such as prior threats, planning, or written or electronic communications.
Inside The First Court Appearance
Two days after the killing, Samuel appeared before a Mobile County judge for an initial bond hearing. According to WALA and WKRG, the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office requested a bond of $1 million.
The judge set bond at $750,000 and ordered that any release would require a 25 percent cash deposit, or $187,500, under Alabama bond rules reported by the stations. If Samuel is released, prosecutors said he would be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
At the time of that hearing, Samuel faced a single count of murder under Alabama law, as reported by Law & Crime. No additional charges, such as abuse of a corpse or weapons offenses, had been publicly announced in the sources reviewed.
WKRG reported that Samuel’s next court date was set for January 28 in Mobile County. That hearing is expected to address whether the case will be sent to a grand jury for possible indictment on a formal charge of murder under state law.
What Remains Unanswered
Several central questions remain unresolved in the public record. Authorities have not described any prior history of police calls to the Victor Road home or any documented incidents of violence between father and son. The Mobile Police Department has not said whether officers had previous contact with Samuel or Mark Prince related to domestic disputes.
No agency has publicly discussed whether investigators are examining Samuel’s mental health, substance use, or any other factors that might have contributed to the killing. Coverage by Law & Crime, WALA, and WKRG includes no mention of any prior arrests or criminal record for Samuel, and officials have not volunteered that information.
Police have not said whether the alleged weapon was recovered from the scene, from the red truck, or somewhere else, or whether they are waiting for forensic testing. They have also not stated whether neighbors’ accounts of a phone call to Samuel’s mother are consistent with 911 records.
For now, the public picture of the case rests on a brief police summary, statements made in an initial bond hearing, and the recollections of neighbors who describe a once close relationship that seemed to change quietly over time. Until investigators or the courts reveal more, the reasons behind what police say happened in that front yard remain largely unknown.
