NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The mother of a teenager charged with slaying a former Metro police officer is defending her son.

Video: Mother Of Murder Suspect Maintains Son's Innocence

Fourteen minors have been charged with murder this year.

Lisa Huddleston is a mother who must decide what many other parents are grappling with this year: Is her son, who is charged with murder, telling her the truth?

Her son, 16-year-old Cedrick Huddleston, is charged with murder in the slaying of former Metro Officer Ben Word.

But Huddleston said she sees a kid with a big grin who just got his braces off instead of a killer.

“I don't hardly sleep. If it wasn't for my job, I'd probably be a nutcase by now,” she said.

She said it's been a nightmare.

“Is it possible that Cedrick is lying to you?" reporter Jeremy Finley asked Huddleston.

“I don't think so. No. No,” she said.

Huddleston said she knows she's become a statistic of sorts in the Nashville juvenile crime system. She said she has a good but low-paying job, a son charged with murder and no husband to share the load.

“Father is no where around. ... It's a woman's fault, it's my fault for being in this situation where I don't even know how to get in touch with his dad,” she said.

“Do I blame myself? Let me tell you something about me, I'm a good parent. I hear a lot of people say, ‘Where are the parents?’ I have worked to make sure my sons had a good home,” she said.

Huddleston said she knows she and some other mothers are in the same boat; having to take off work, showing up in court and believing their children. “The truth is my son is innocent. That's the truth,” she said.

Huddleston said she firmly believes that her son was only a witness to the crime.

She asked that anyone who has information about the case to talk to detectives.