Inset: Levi Carter (Sullivan County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The Kingsport, Tennessee, home where Carter is accused of fatally stabbing his father (Google Maps).
A Tennessee man has been jailed after authorities say he killed his father with a pocketknife and then led police on a chase that crossed state lines.
Levi Carter, 37, is charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 51-year-old Anthony Carter.
The alleged attack happened on the night of June 8 at the Carter family home on Hickory Street in Kingsport, a midsize city about 30 miles northeast of Johnson City.
According to an affidavit obtained by Bristol-based NBC, The CW and Fox affiliate WCYB, the victim’s wife told investigators that Levi Carter came to the residence, attacked his father and then drove away in a red Ford F-150.
By early the following morning, the Kingsport Police Department had issued a public alert seeking help finding Carter on a murder warrant, warning that he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Authorities said Carter was taken into custody on June 10 in Church Hill, a small town roughly 10 miles east of Kingsport.
After his arrest, police said Carter spoke at length about an argument that allegedly preceded the deadly stabbing, according to a courtroom report by WCYB and Johnson City-based ABC and CBS affiliate WJHL.
The defendant’s alleged confession was relayed by Kingsport Police Detective William Clare.
To hear Levi Carter tell it, Anthony Carter made one comment too many, so he stood up and stabbed the older man once, believing his father had been wounded in the stomach, Clare told the court.
“Initially, he said that they were arguing about father and son stuff,” the detective said. “Eventually, he told me that his father wouldn’t stop. Specifically, that they squabbled about father-son stuff. They were both sitting in chairs, and he was having some difficulties [with] his father. And his father said something that set him off, and he eventually stood up and stabbed him.”
Clare said there were “essentially three crime scenes” due to a trail of blood leading from the basement to the inside of the house.
After being stabbed in the chest, the victim walked into the living room and told his wife, “Levi stabbed me,” authorities allege.
During the ensuing investigation, officers chased the suspect across state lines — and back again — leading to a crashed police cruiser in Hawkins County, according to law enforcement.
The defendant was then interrogated for 32 minutes, Clare said. He said Levi Carter did not appear to be under the influence. When told about his father’s death, the son allegedly replied: “Oh, boy.”
“Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do,” Levi Carter allegedly told Clare, explaining why he stabbed his father.
On Thursday, Levi Carter appeared in court for the first time. His defense requested a bond reduction to $25,000, which was denied. He is being detained in the Sullivan County Jail on $500,000 bond.
Levi Carter is next slated to appear in court on Oct. 14.
