Man, 71, pleads guilty in murder of brother-in-law in Southern California

A 71-year-old man is facing 25 years to life in prison for the 2020 shooting death of his brother-in-law in Ventura County, authorities announced Tuesday.

Prosecutors say that in late 2019 Elsworth Dennis Cadle’s estranged wife and daughter were living with his sister and brother-in-law, Mark Milton, but by January 2020, they planned to move into their own apartment, a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s office stated.

In order to pick up her and her daughter’s belongings from Cadle’s apartment, his estranged wife and brother-in-law rented a U-Haul truck they were also using to gather belongings from a storage unit in Moorpark rented by Milton and his wife.

Cadle spotted Milton at the Moorpark self-storage unit on Jan. 3, 2020 , authorities said. He then immediately rented a vehicle, retrieved his firearm and returned to the storage unit where he found his brother-in-law sitting in the cab of the U-Haul truck.

“Cadle shot Mr. Milton one time in the left side of the head and fled,” prosecutors said.

Several hours later, Cadle was taken into custody by deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, who recovered the gun in the center console of the rental car.

The 71-year-old has since pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of Mark Milton and admitted to the special allegation that “he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm resulting in death,” the release stated.

“This is a tragic case and now that the defendant took responsibility for taking his brother-in-law’s life, the family can begin to heal,” Supervising Senior Deputy DA Melissa Suttner, who prosecuted the case, said.

A sentencing hearing for Cadle is schedule for late June in the Ventura County Superior Court.

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