Anthony Kevin Wall made his initial court appearance in Great Falls on Friday, facing a charge of attempted deliberate homicide.
Wall is accused of slitting the throat of an elderly relative at his Black Eagle house on Thursday morning.
In court, a prosecutor said, "While he does not have any felony history, his misdemeanor history includes domestic violence, and domestic violence against the same victim in this case."
Bail for Wall was set at $200,000.
If he is able to post bond, he is forbidden from having any contact with the victim or any of the witnesses. However, he is able to have contact with family members who are not directly involved in the case.
Court documents say the victim was in the bathroom getting ready for the day when Wall grabbed a knife from the kitchen, which is adjacent to the bathroom, and used the knife to slit the man's neck. Court documents state: "Anthony gestured using his own neck and hands to show the location of the injury. Anthony pointed to his right ear and then motioned downward to his trachea and continued to his left ear, stopping just short of his ear."
Wall then reportedly went upstairs to wake up his brother and told him what he had done. The two went downstairs and found the victim in the bathroom and "blood everywhere." The brother ran upstairs to get his phone to call 911.
Deputies and medical personnel noted that the injury to the victim was consistent with Wall's description. They also saw blood on Wall's hands and shirt.
There is no mention of any possible motive for the incident, which happened on the 200 block of 15th Street in Black Eagle.
