Killer Given 7 Years in 1981 Slaying of Woman

A notorious 19-year-old murder case finally reached an end Thursday when the killer of a Sherman Oaks woman was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Edward Perreira, 46, is already serving a 171-year sentence for a murder in the Bay Area. But Thursday’s sentence by Superior Court Judge Michael Hoff--which was the result of a plea bargain--was significant nonetheless because of the uphill battle to bring Perreira to justice for the death of Beth Field Silver.

In 1981, Perreira robbed, raped and shot the 25-year-old newlywed at her Sherman Oaks home. Last month, he pleaded no contest to manslaughter.

“It’s been 19 years,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeffrey Boxer. “There’s finally some closure.”

After sentencing, Silver’s family said it was a “good day” for them because they never again have to confront Perreira, whom they called an evil man.

“We’ve avenged as much as we can through the legal system,” said Donnovan Field, Silver’s stepmother, who attended the hearing in Van Nuys with her husband and Silver’s father, George Field, of Malibu.

The district attorney’s office was initially reluctant to file charges against Perreira because of insufficient evidence. Charges had been erroneously brought against another man who was acquitted by a jury in 1983.

But in 1996, renewed interest and new evidence uncovered by LAPD detectives allowed prosecutors to reopen the case.

Perreira was offered the plea deal because the case’s age made it tough to bring to trial, prosecutors said. Witnesses have died and evidence has been destroyed.