VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - A Moorpark man pleaded guilty to murdering his brother-in-law in 2020.
Elsworth Dennis Cadle, 71, entered a guilty plea to the charge of second-degree murder.
He is facing 25 years to life in prison when sentenced.
According to the Ventura County DA's Office, in 2019, Cadle’s estranged wife and daughter were living with his sister and brother-in-law in Moorpark. By early January, the wife and daughter were moving into their own apartment and had rented a U-Haul truck to pick up their belongings from Cadle’s apartment and from a storage unit the victim, Mark Milton, and his wife, rented.
On January 3, 2020, Cadle spotted Milton at the storage unit. According to the DA's office, Cadle then rented a car, got his gun, and went back to the storage unit where he found Milton in the driver’s seat of the U-Haul. Cadle then shot Milton once and fled.
Milton died at the scene. Cadle was arrested several hours later by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The gun was located in the center console of the rental car.
"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," said Supervising Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Suttner.
Cadle is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.