Kenneth Matthew Stotts, 32, of Arnold has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing and killing his 65-year-old father, Thomas M. Stotts Jr., authorities report.
The stabbing reportedly occurred Oct. 28 at the victim’s home in the 1900 block of Casa Drive, off the West Outer Road.
At about 8:30 p.m., Arnold Police got a call about the alleged homicide, which probably happened one to two hours earlier, Detective Lt. James Jones said.
The victim and his son reportedly had argued about the son’s alleged drug use, and during that fight, Kenneth Stotts allegedly stabbed his father in the back, the probable-cause statement said.
After the altercation, the victim’s wife returned home and found her husband had been stabbed and her son, who also lived there, still at the home, Detective Lt. James Jones said.
She called police and reported the stabbing and said her son was getting ready to leave the area. Officers found him nearby driving a Saturn, the report said.
Officers found the father dead, and during the investigation, the son allegedly confessed to stabbing him, Jones said.
The son was taken into custody, and the next day, Oct. 29, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged him with second-degree murder, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison.
As of this afternoon (Oct. 31), Kenneth Stotts was being held at the Jefferson County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.