Levi Carter remains jailed on a second-degree murder charge after a judge declined to reduce his $500,000 bond.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — A Tennessee detective testified that a 37-year-old man admitted stabbing his father during an argument at their Kingsport home, then gave a brief explanation after learning that the wound had killed the older man.

Levi Carter is charged with second-degree murder in the June 8 death of his father, 51-year-old Anthony Carter. During Levi Carter’s first reported court appearance, Kingsport Police Detective William Clare described statements that Carter allegedly made after his arrest. The testimony offered the clearest public account so far of what investigators believe happened inside the family’s Hickory Street residence. Carter has not been convicted, and the charge against him remains an allegation that prosecutors must prove in court.

According to Clare’s testimony, Carter initially described the dispute in broad terms, saying that he and his father had been arguing about “father and son stuff.” The detective said Carter later provided more detail, telling investigators that both men had been sitting in chairs and that something his father said caused him to stand up. Carter then allegedly used a pocketknife to stab his father once. Clare testified that Carter believed at first that he had struck his father in the stomach, although authorities said the fatal injury was to the chest.

The testimony did not establish what specific comment began the final confrontation or whether the disagreement had been building before Carter arrived at the home. No detailed motive has been released. Clare said Carter told him that his father “wouldn’t stop,” but the public accounts of the hearing do not explain what Carter meant by that statement. Investigators have not publicly described any physical threat by Anthony Carter before the stabbing, and Carter’s defense has not presented its full account of the encounter.

Anthony Carter’s wife gave investigators a separate account of the immediate aftermath, according to an affidavit cited in local reporting. She said Levi Carter came to the residence, attacked his father and fled in a red Ford F-150. Although seriously wounded, Anthony Carter was able to move from the area where he was stabbed into the living room. Authorities allege that he told his wife, “Levi stabbed me.” Police have not publicly released a complete recording or transcript of her statement.

Clare told the court that the movement through the house left officers with what he described as “essentially three crime scenes.” Investigators found a blood trail leading from the basement into other parts of the residence, according to the detective’s testimony. That description appears to refer to separate areas that officers had to document and process rather than three unrelated locations. Authorities have not released photographs, a full evidence inventory or a forensic report explaining what was recovered from each area.

The Kingsport Police Department began searching for Carter after officers obtained a warrant charging him with second-degree murder. In a public notice dated June 9, police described him as armed and dangerous and asked residents not to approach him. The department said Carter was believed to be driving the red pickup truck and distributed his description while officers from several jurisdictions joined the search. Police later updated the notice to say that Carter had been located and taken into custody.

The search extended beyond Kingsport and involved agencies in Tennessee and Virginia. Police credited the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Church Hill Police Department and other agencies with helping locate Carter. Reporting about the pursuit said officers followed him across a state line and back into Tennessee. A police cruiser crashed in Hawkins County during the operation, though authorities have not publicly provided a full account of how the crash occurred or reported that Carter was injured in it.

After Carter was taken into custody, Clare questioned him for about 32 minutes, according to the detective’s testimony. Clare said Carter did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and spoke about the confrontation. When the detective told him that Anthony Carter had died, Carter allegedly responded, “Oh, boy.” He later told Clare, “Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do,” according to testimony reported from the hearing. Those statements are attributed to the detective’s account and have not yet been tested at trial.

The context in which the interview occurred could become important as the case proceeds. Courts often examine whether a defendant was advised of constitutional rights, whether statements were voluntary and whether police questioning complied with legal requirements. No public report reviewed for this article says Carter’s attorneys have filed a motion to suppress the interview or challenged the accuracy of Clare’s testimony. The available accounts also do not say whether the questioning was recorded or whether prosecutors intend to introduce a recording as evidence. Carter’s attorney asked the court to reduce his bond from $500,000 to $25,000. The request was denied, leaving Carter in the Sullivan County Jail as the case moves forward. Public reporting did not identify the defense’s complete argument for a lower bond or provide the judge’s full reasoning. Bond is intended to address whether a defendant will return to court and whether release would present a danger, but it is not a finding of guilt. Carter remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Under Tennessee law, second-degree murder can include the knowing killing of another person and is classified as a Class A felony. The filing of that charge reflects the prosecution’s current theory, not a final determination about Carter’s mental state. Prosecutors would have to establish each required element beyond a reasonable doubt to obtain a conviction. The defense may dispute the alleged statements, the meaning of the evidence, Carter’s state of mind or other parts of the government’s case.

The court testimony has provided a basic sequence: an argument inside a family residence, a single alleged knife wound, Anthony Carter’s movement through the home and Levi Carter’s departure before an extensive police search. Significant questions remain unanswered, including the precise subject of the dispute, whether other evidence supports Carter’s alleged account and what forensic testing will show. Authorities also have not publicly identified any additional charges related to the pursuit or the damaged police vehicle. Carter was scheduled to return to court Oct. 14, according to reports from his initial appearance. Until additional records or testimony are released, the detective’s account, the wife’s reported statement and the physical evidence described in court form the central public basis for the second-degree murder charge.

Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.