Bouncer Faces 16-Year Sentence in Bar Patron’s Death

A Redondo Beach bar bouncer who had been charged with murder for fatally injuring a patron pleaded no contest Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the death.

Eric Charles Meyer, 32, agreed to accept the highest prison term allowed for the charge--11 years--and to acknowledge a prior robbery conviction, which will add five years to his sentence. After he is sentenced on Oct. 23, Meyer will not be eligible for parole for at least 11 years.

Meyer’s mother, Diane, disrupted court proceedings briefly by yelling a sharp “No!” as her son entered his plea. She left the court quickly afterward without commenting.

In a calm, clear voice, Meyer answered a series of questions during his court hearing before being led away. He remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Meyer, who had been working for nine months as a door host at Pancho & Wong’s near King Harbor, was arrested Sept. 1 for critically injuring 25-year-old Michael Alvey of Harbor City while ejecting him from the bar.

Witnesses told police that Meyer, a 200-pound weightlifter, grabbed Alvey, who weighed at least 65 pounds less, from behind after Alvey argued briefly with another customer.

Meyer dragged Alvey in a headlock out to the bar’s wood deck and then either threw him or pushed him down a short flight of stairs to the concrete pavement below.

Alvey, who never regained consciousness after the incident, died of severe head injuries three days later at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Prosecutors had planned to seek a second-degree murder conviction if the case went to trial, but they said such a conviction would have been difficult to win.

If Meyer had been convicted of the more severe charge, his mandatory sentence would have been 15 years to life, they noted.

“There would have been a good chance that he would have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter,” which carries a maximum term of four years, Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Sitkoff said. “This way, this guy will go to prison for 16 years. He’ll do 11 years, assuming he’s good, and it will not be easy time, not by a long shot.”

Meyer’s attorney, Lourdes Cawile, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Alvey’s relatives, who tried to block Meyer’s plea to the reduced charge by collecting more than 300 signatures on a petition to the court, said they are slowly coming to grips with the prosecution’s reasons for offering the plea agreement.

The family has filed a civil lawsuit against Meyer and Pancho & Wong’s.

“I don’t think any family that’s been through something like this would think it’s enough time,” said Patricia Alvey, the victim’s mother. “I’d like to see him get life for taking a life . . . but I am beginning to understand a little better why this has been handled this way.”

The family members said they plan to submit their petition and a number of letters when they offer testimony at Meyer’s sentencing, which they believe may sway a future parole board to keep him in prison longer.

“We don’t want him to do this to somebody else,” said Cathy Landen, one of Alvey’s sisters. “But no matter how long he’s in there, chances are he’ll get out and he’ll just do it again.”

Family members described Alvey, who was married and a father of three, as a “real sweet, real gentle kid” who underwent a number of surgeries while growing up to correct a cleft palate.

“He was our baby. He was our special brother,” said Linda Alvey, another of his sisters. “After he was born, it was a miracle that he lived at all. . . . He deserved a lot better than this.”