February 16, 2024 — Bryan Taylor, Canyon County Prosecutor, announced today that Levi Isaac Davis, age 27, of Nampa, was sentenced by the Honorable Brent L. Whiting for fatally stabbing his mother at her Middleton home in October 2022. Davis pleaded guilty to a felony charge of Murder II in September 2023.
Levi Isaac Davis
Judge Whiting sentenced Davis to 40 years fixed, followed by an indeterminate life sentence. Davis will serve at least 40 years in prison before he is eligible for parole, and Davis will remain on supervision the rest of his life. Judge Whiting also ordered Davis to submit a DNA sample to the Idaho database, have no contact with the victim’s family for 100 years, and to pay a $5,000 civil penalty.
Davis was arrested by the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and FBI METRO Violent Crime Task Force at a Nampa halfway house on October 10, 2022, after an investigation revealed he had brutally stabbed and nearly decapitated his mother, Karly Cantrell, at her home in Middleton earlier that day. Court records show that Davis stabbed Cantrell multiple times in the neck and abdomen before fleeing the scene in his vehicle. Davis’s vehicle was located later that day at the halfway house where he resided. Court records show that deputies observed shoes and pants in plain sight inside the vehicle that appeared to have blood stains on them. Davis was located inside the halfway house a short time later and taken into custody.
“The impact of such a crime can’t be understated. Karly’s loss is devastating to this community. But, even more devastating is how it has impacted her family that she leaves behind for the rest of their lives,” Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Morse stated at the sentencing hearing. “The Defendant brutally stabbed and murdered his mother. An act unconscionable.”
Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Taylor added, “My heart goes out to Karly’s family. This sentence holds this defendant accountable and brings justice for the community.”
“This was one of the most horrible acts of violence that I have seen in all my years in law enforcement,” said Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue. “The sheer brutality shown by the defendant against his own mother and his complete lack of remorse are truly hard to fathom. I want to thank all of the CCSO detectives, patrol deputies, crime lab personnel, and FBI METRO Task Force members who worked diligently to gather the necessary evidence to bring Davis into custody and hold him accountable for his actions. I also want to thank Prosecutor Taylor and his office for their work prosecuting the case and helping put this violent criminal in prison.”