Rhea Co. Stabbing Results in Murder Charges

A mix of alcohol, family problems and tension between friends ends with deadly consequences in Dayton early Thursday morning.

Marvin Boles is in the Rhea County Jail charged with first degree murder after police say he stabbed his long-time friend Stanley Simpson.

Boles' friends said he had been under a lot of stress lately. They said Boles was recently laid off from his job, his wife left him and it appears that fueled the rage before he killed Simpson, a friend since grade school.

"We was over there shooting pool, we was drinking and stuff," friend Tony Sexton said.

Sexton and some friends were at Bole's Willow Drive house Wednesday night when things got tense, then violent. It ended with Bole's long-time friend being stabbed repeatedly with a large hunting knife.

"There's been various different issues as to what the verbal disagreement was about, it just depends on who you talk to," according to Dayton Police Chief Chris Sneed.

Chief Sneed said Boles confessed to the crime.

By all accounts, after Boles stabbed Simpson he left his house and went across the street to Sexton's house where Simpson had been recently staying. Sexton said Simpson was also having problems with his wife. Sexton said he left the party at Boles' house Wednesday night, then got a rude awakening just after midnight.

"And then Marvin came over, beating on the door, he was all bloody and stuff and said he had just stabbed Stanley," Sexton said. "Oh my God, what could I think I was half asleep and it woke me up and he still had the knife in his hands."

Chief Sneed said "when our officers arrived on the scene basically they encountered a gentleman who was walking toward the patrol car with a knife in his hand, officers got out and asked him to drop the knife."

Boles was taken into custody without incident according to Chief Sneed.

Even though both long-time friends were going through personal issues no one knows exactly what triggered the argument. Sexton is just stunned to have lost a friend and mentor.

"Stanley was a good guy, we did work together, a real good carpenter, I learned a lot from him doing a few jobs with him before," Sexton said.