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Last updated on Friday, November 14, 2014
(SHOALS) - A trial date on January 20th has been set for accused murderer John Bruce Tow.
60-year-old Tow is accused of killing his son, 32-year-old Jonathan Tow, during an altercation on June 8.
Police found Jonathon laying at the base of the step of the older Tow's mobile home in Shoals.
According to an autopsy report, Jonathan died from a stab wound to his neck that severed his carotid artery. The wound went into the victim's pharynx, and the blood loss would have been fatal within 30 seconds of the stabbing. The stabbing happened after a daylong dispute about a weed trimmer, push mower and moped apparently escalated into an altercation.
According to the court paperwork, Tow stayed Saturday night at a different home, and on Sunday he went to John Tow's home to retrieve a weed trimmer and push mower.
The father and son had several interactions and John Bruce Tow became increasingly agitated throughout the day.
First, he told the son to move his moped, "or he was going to take a sledge hammer to the moped," the court document reads. The son retrieved the moped as John Tow requested. But a short time later, the father wanted the weed trimmer and mower returned.
The son took both items back to his father's home. The younger Tow was not mad or angry when he left his friend's home, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Another person told police that the elder Tow had been at her home that day and said he was going to kill someone if he did not find some pills.
When Shoals Town Marshall, Indiana State Police and a Martin County deputy responded to the 911 call at 9:55 p.m., Jonathan Tow was "lying at the base of the steps of the residence bleeding from a wound to his neck with a large amount of blood around him and on the ground.
John Tow told police he and his son argued before the son left the home with the weed trimmer that John Bruce Tow's sister had bought for them. After the younger Tow left, the father went to get the knife "to protect himself if Jonathan (Tow) came back."
John Tow told detectives his son came back, and a physical altercation took place.
John Bruce Tow "stated that he swung the knife at Jonathan with the hope that Jonathan would block the knife with his hands," the affidavit reads. The father's clothes had very little blood on them, and he had no wounds or bruises.
"During the entire time John B. Tow was in custody, he did not once ask about the condition of his son, nor did he appear to be upset or remorseful," the document reads.
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