Man Gets Probation, Jail in Death of In-Law
A 36-year-old Lake View Terrace man who pleaded guilty in the stabbing death of his brother-in-law was sentenced Wednesday to three years’ probation, the first year to be spent in County Jail.
Ervin Ford pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the April, 1987, death of Clayburn Reed, 27.
Ford’s attorney and the prosecutor in the case said they requested probation because the stabbing occurred during a struggle in which Ford was trying to stop Reed from harming his wife, Ford’s sister. Also, Ford had no felony record, they said.
The killing occurred April 18, 1987, after an argument between Reed and his wife, Marilyn, police said. Ford tried to intervene, a scuffle ensued and Reed was stabbed several times, police said.
Marilyn Reed said her husband’s death was an accident, saying he and Ford had been good friends.
San Fernando Superior Court Judge Meredith C. Taylor ordered Ford, a part-time maintenance worker, to seek counseling, training and employment during his probation.
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