An Idaho man was arrested and charged earlier this week after police found the suspect’s mother dead inside of her own home.
Levi Isaac Davis, 26, stands accused of murder in the second degree over the Oct. 10, 2022 death of Karly Cantrell.
The victim worked as the executive director of the West Valley Humane Society, which remembered her fondly in a Facebook post.
“Karly was the heart and soul of West Valley Humane Society and a fierce advocate for both animals and people in need,” the animal welfare center’s statement reads. “She was a kind, compassionate and empathetic friend, mother, wife, grandmother and daughter. Her impact on the world moves far past the animal shelter and directly into the hearts of the many she took under her wing.”
According to the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Middleton Police Department officers found the victim in her residence after someone called 911 around 3:30 p.m.
An affidavit of probable cause obtained by Boise-based NBC affiliate KTVB says the victim was discovered in a pool of her own blood by a family member on the day in question. The Idaho Statesman reports Cantrell was found by her husband, Kevin Kline, who returned home around 3:35 p.m. that day, citing the affidavit.
“This is one of the most horrific fact patterns I’ve had to read in my time in this role,” Canyon County Prosecutor Sean Jorgensen said during a video arraignment on Tuesday during which the defendant’s bond was initially set at $5 million by Judge Matthew Thompson, KTVB reports.
The affidavit reportedly goes on to say that the victim had chunks of hair and skin missing when she was found. The prosecutor also described the slaying as “truly horrific.”
“Levi showed no emotion when talking about the death of his mother,” the court document reportedly says.
Davis became a suspect, the sheriff’s office said, after a neighbor saw a small blue hatchback that allegedly looked similar to the son’s car, leaving the scene of the crime before 9:00 a.m. on the day Cantrell died. That car had arrived around 7:54 a.m., the affidavit says. Another neighbor later provided police with video footage of a small blue car leaving the area around 8:20 that morning.
The accused son, it seems, had recently been evicted from the home by Cantrell and Kline for “poor behavior,” the affidavit explains, according to the Statesman.
On the day of the slaying, Kline told law enforcement, he left around 6:30 a.m. and that his wife usually gets ready for work around 7:30 a.m.; Cantrell has two teenage sons who told law enforcement they last saw their mom around 7:35 a.m. before they left for school.
The woman’s death appears to have occurred during an exceedingly small window of time.
Awhile after leaving for school, the victim’s 15-year-old son reportedly texted her, saying that he had forgotten a school project at home. She texted back saying she would take it to his high school. By 9:00 a.m., however, when he texted her again, he received a notification that his message had not been delivered. Cantrell’s 17-year-old son then texted his mom around 2:30 p.m. that day, but he got no response.
When law enforcement arrived at the halfway house where Davis was living, his Chevy Aveo allegedly had a pair of waffle-soled shoes and white pants with red stains on the legs in the backseat.
This alleged find would have aligned with what a man, who is said to know Davis, allegedly told police before the arrest, according to the affidavit. To hear this witness tell it, the defendant appeared at his house around 9:00 a.m. on the day of the crime, “with what appeared to be blood on his pants” and asked to use the shower – but the man declined after Davis explained he had stabbed himself.
Davis was arrested just before midnight and booked into the Canyon County Jail. At the time of his arrest, he had a “deep laceration” on his right thigh, a large scratch on his left hand, and what appeared to be a circular burn mark on his left arm, the sheriff’s office said.
According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, the defendant is currently slated for a preliminary bond hearing on Oct. 19, 2022.
[Image via Canyon County Jail]