Suspect Pleads Guilty in 1975 Shooting Death, Gets Six-Year Sentence

In a plea bargain that resolves Orange County’s oldest murder prosecution, a man pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in the 1975 shooting death of a Santa Ana man who was slain in front of his young son.

Larry Donnell Paige, 44, was sentenced to six years in prison for aiding an unidentified man in the killing. With credit for the time he’s already served in jail, Paige will be eligible for parole in 2003.

Prosecutors argued that Paige distracted victim Larry Wheelock’s son while his cohort robbed and then shot Wheelock. Tuesday’s guilty plea came nearly two months after a jury deadlocked on a second-degree murder charge.

“Given the number of years that passed, I’m satisfied,” said Wheelock’s brother, James. “It’s not going to bring my brother back, but it does provide some closure.”

Defense attorney Ed Eisler said Paige played no role in the killing but considered the guilty plea a sound tactical decision.

“He didn’t want to risk a life sentence for something he didn’t do,” Eisler said.

Prosecutors faced several obstacles in resurrecting the case 25 years after the killing. Several pieces of evidence had been destroyed, including the murder scene, an old apartment building.

They did have fingerprints linking Paige to the crime scene. And Wheelock’s son testified that even a quarter of a century later, he was certain that Paige was one of the men who participated in the killing.

The second suspect has not been identified. But James Wheelock said the single conviction was more than he expected.

“I would hope whoever is responsible for this crime would be brought to justice. But after 25 years, I would have been satisfied even with an arrest,” James Wheelock said. “I’d given up hope after four years.”