The man told Candy Arthurs and her two grandchildren that he was looking for a lost drone, and the trio was happy to help him look for it. But shortly after they began searching their Hilltop neighborhood June 23, Jeremy Mullins, 7, and Kourtnee Mullins, 8, started walking into an alley with the man, who turned out to be a convicted sex offender. Arthurs confronted the man, and he stabbed her in the heart with a large knife and also stabbed Jeremy in the shoulder, Columbus police say. Wednesday morning, Arthurs, 45, died at Mount Carmel West hospital from the wound she suffered six weeks ago.

The man told Candy Arthurs and her two grandchildren that he was looking for a lost drone, and the trio was happy to help him look for it.

But shortly after they began searching their Hilltop neighborhood June 23, Jeremy Mullins, 7, and Kourtnee Mullins, 8, started walking into an alley with the man, who turned out to be a convicted sex offender.

Though it's unclear what happened next, Arthurs � who always said she'd sacrifice her life for her grandchildren � confronted the man. He stabbed her in the heart with a large knife and also stabbed Jeremy in the shoulder, Columbus police say.

Wednesday morning, Arthurs, 45, died at Mount Carmel West hospital from the wound she suffered six weeks ago.

>>>Hilltop residents question why they didn't know sex offender lived there

The suspect, Kristopher T. Amos, 29, has been charged with murder and was in the Franklin County jail Wednesday night.

The two grandchildren and their mother � Arthurs' daughter � are devastated.

�My mother always told me she would die for them, and that�s exactly what she did,� Amanda Gibson, 27, said, referencing the five grandchildren Arthurs adored.

�She�s my hero.�

Amos, who lives in the 200 block of North Wayne Avenue, just down the street from Gibson's house, is a registered sex offender and twice was found guilty of child enticement with a sexual motivation, in 2010 and 2011. During the first incident, Amos tried to lure children into the shower area of a YMCA, according to the national sex-offender registry.

He'd been charged with two counts of felonious assault after the June 23 stabbing, but he wasn't arrested until 10 a.m. Wednesday, after he was charged with murder. He was picked up at his employer on Worthington Road.

After her mother and son were stabbed, Gibson's neighbors on the Hilltop told her that Amos also had solicited their children for help, claiming he lost a drone. He was carrying a remote control with him. Columbus police called the story a guise.

Amos approached Gibson's house in the 200 block of North Oakley Avenue about 10 p.m. June 23, according to a Columbus police report. Gibson stayed behind in the house while her mother, who was living with her, and two children went searching with Amos.

She didn't see the attack in the alleyway. But after about 10 minutes, she heard her children screaming and knew something was wrong.

Arthurs "pushed the children to safety" and the trio ran home, according to Columbus police. Arthurs stumbled up the house's front steps and collapsed on the floor, bleeding heavily from her chest, and Gibson called an ambulance.

Arthurs survived a risky four-hour surgery and had been in a coma at Mount Carmel, but she was showing signs of improvement, Gibson said. Gibson was shocked when she received a call about 3:40 a.m. Wednesday to learn Arthurs had died.

The night of the stabbing, Jeremy was treated at Nationwide Children's Hospital and has recovered. Kourtnee wasn't injured, but both children are still shaken and can't recall much about the incident, Gibson said.

Arthurs had a passion for fishing and the outdoors and found joy in aiding others, according to Gibson. So when Amos, a stranger, showed up on their front porch and asked for help, it's unlikely Arthurs doubted the man's intentions.

Arthurs wasn't perfect, her daughter said. Court records show she had a drug charge and some other brushes with the law. But her grandchildren were her inspiration to get her life back on track, Gibson said.

"She was murdered helping someone," she said. "That's what hurts the most."

Arthurs' death is the city's 58th homicide this year.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Columbus Division of Police homicide unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS.

A GoFundMe page to help with Arthurs� funeral costs and medical bills is at gofundme.com/2crfkk4.

awidman@dispatch.com



@AlissaWidman