Police reject Ooltewah man's self-defense claim in fatal shooting of son-in-law

Glen Donaldson is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Adam Kenneth Levi, 39

Glen Allen Donaldson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Glen Allen Donaldson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

A 56-year-old Ooltewah man who called 911 and told the dispatcher he'd shot his son-in-law on Thursday has been charged with first-degree murder.

Glen Donaldson told the dispatcher he'd shot his son-in-law Adam Kenneth Levi, 39, at Levi's home in the 3900 block of Niles Terrace in Ooltewah around 9 p.m. When the dispatcher asked if Levi was still alive, Donaldson replied, "I doubt it," according to an affidavit.

photo Glen Allen Donaldson has been charged with first-degree murder.

Deputies arrived at the home to find Levi dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Donaldson claimed his son-in-law threatened him with a knife while standing at the kitchen sink, so he shot the man out of fear for his own life.

However, deputies did not find a knife near Levi's body, and the gunshot wound was "inconsistent with a self-defense shot," records show.

Relatives told police that Levi and Donaldson's daughter were going through a divorce, and that Donaldson said he'd planned to stop by the house to pick up a bed rail.

Donaldson declined to be interviewed by deputies without first speaking to an attorney, saying he thought that was best, "after what he had done."

Authorities said Levi was killed with a pistol; investigators recovered a pistol from the front seat of a truck at the crime scene.

Donaldson was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on a $500,000 bond, where he remained in custody on Friday afternoon.

He does not have any other charges listed on his criminal record in Hamilton County, court records show.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.

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