Idaho man gets life for killing and nearly decapitating his mother

CANYON COUNTY, Idaho (TCD) — A judge sentenced a 27-year-old man to at least four decades in prison for fatally stabbing his mother in 2022 in what the sheriff called “one of the most horrible acts of violence that I have ever seen.”

The Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 16 that Levi Isaac Davis was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years for killing his mother, Karly Cantrell. He also must not contact his mother’s family for 100 years. If he is released on parole, Davis must be on supervision for the rest of his life.

Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Morse said at the sentencing hearing, “The Defendant brutally stabbed and murdered his mother. An act unconscionable.”

Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September.

On Oct. 10, 2022, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office investigators were called to Cantrell’s home in Middleton, where she was found brutally stabbed in the abdomen and neck and “nearly decapitated.”

Investigators identified Davis as the suspect in his mother’s killing and ultimately tracked him down to the halfway house where he was living at the time.

According to the affidavit cited by KTVB-TV, deputies discovered blood-covered clothing in Davis’ vehicle and noticed he had a large cut on his thigh and other marks.

Cantrell worked as the director of the West Valley Humane Society. In a tribute to her following her death, the organization wrote on Facebook, “Karly was the heart and soul of West Valley Humane Society and a fierce advocate for both animals and people in need. 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.”

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