A father in Oregon has learned his fate after he admitted to fatally stabbing his 9-year-old son with a spear after he initially claimed that his daughter “accidentally stabbed” the victim.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that Levi Higgins-Green pleaded guilty to several crimes on August 31, including one count of murder in the second degree, one count of strangulation — constituting domestic violence, two counts of criminal mischief and three various counts of assault.
On Tuesday, September 8, Higgins-Green, 38, was sentenced to a combined minimum sentence of 30 years and eight months in prison. He will be eligible for parole after he serves the minimum sentence.
Higgins-Green was sentenced one year after the incident took place at a home in Charleston, Oregon, in September 2025.
Officers reported to the home, where Higgins-Green allegedly told them that the boy’s sister “had accidentally stabbed him during play with a spear,” according to the sheriff’s office. However, officers later learned that the boy had been stabbed by his father.
Paramedics performed lifesaving efforts on the boy before he was rushed to a Bay Area Hospital, where he later died.
Authorities launched an investigation into the boy’s death, which resulted in a search warrant being executed at the home in October 2025. As detectives looked through the home, they obtained evidence that Higgins-Green had actually killed the son.
Despite confirming the conclusion, officials have not revealed if Higgins-Green had a motive or what evidence they found that led to his arrest.
Higgins-Green was initially charged with a lone count of second-degree murder before facing the additional charges.
“Also uncovered during the investigation were instances of domestic violence involving the other adults and children who lived in the home which occurred over years,” the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said in the press release. “It should be noted that names have been omitted at the specific request of the surviving family.”
After the sheriff’s office shared the update in a Facebook post, several people took to the comments section to applaud Judge Martin Stone for giving Higgins-Green a harsh sentence.
“Very good job on the part of the justice system in this case. He should not be able to get out of jail ever if you ask me life should be life,” one person wrote, while another added, “Judge Stone is a protector of women and children.”
